The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red
by Christopher Scott
Summary: Ruby Rose: Optimistic, Likes Weapons, Socially Awkward. Red Rose: Terrifying, Always Armed, Not Particularly Unfriendly For The Most Part. Official Statement: Unfortunately, they share the same body. Fortunately, they seem to be on our side. Caution suggested. AU caused by the first Red Trailer, among other things. Please Read and Review. truly, Christopher Scott: A Gentleman Thief
1. Chapter 1

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 1

Semantics and The Duality of Human Nature

I don't own RWBY. This was born of an idea that I hadn't seen done before here and was further developed with the aid of Silent Magi, who kindly pushed me into this fandom headfirst. This mostly came about because I saw the original trailers before watching the series and found myself musing on the differences between the two versions of Ruby. Then, I started toying with the idea of Ruby with two personalities in my head for a bit which led to the chaos that is just barely beginning to start unraveling here. This is the result.

In the world of Remnant, a world of monsters born of shadows and darkness called Grimm and the Huntsmen and Huntresses who fought them with the miraculous material known as dust, a tale was barely beginning to be told.

It started, as things like this often do, with a robbery under the light of a shattered moon. Four men in identical black suits and red ties, led by a white-dressed man in a bowler hat, wielding a cane, entered a shop named 'From Dust Till Dawn.'

The old shopkeeper begged them to simply take his Lien and leave, wishing for the situation to be over and done with, but the obvious leader instead ordered his men to steal the Dust. As they did so, there was a young girl dressed in a red, hooded cloak who was reading comics, oblivious to the robbery in progress due to the music blaring on her headphones.

The entire thing could have gone without a hitch, with the girl having never been the wiser, if not for the one lackey who had decided to take it upon himself to attempt to rob the child, a choice which began the whole affair.

"Are you… robbing me?" the girl asked, seeming almost delighted by the prospect.

"Yes…" the man replied impatiently, only to be thrown across the room, followed by a cohort who tried to stop the child. The latter had promptly found himself flying out the window, shattering the glass before the girl, herself, flew immediately after him, landing in the street as she unsheathed her scythe.

When the leader ordered his hired thugs to get rid of her, what could be expected to happen in a tale such as this occurred. With their weapons at the ready, the henchmen rushed the child all at once, only to be knocked back by the sort of attacks that only someone trained in her improbable scythe-gun hybrid could have been expected to perform, the girl, herself a blur of motion to their eyes, leaving a trail of vanishing rose petals in her wake. Once she had bested them all, the leader looked down upon the fallen and muttered, "You were worth every cent. Truly, you were…" Then, tossing the cigar he had been smoking onto the ground and crushing it beneath the bottom of his distinct cane, he said, "Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much…"

"Ruby," the girl interrupted, causing him to pause.

"What?" he asked, his dramatic moment ruined.

"I'm Ruby, not Red," she replied.

"Is that really what you're going to focus on at the moment?" he asked incredulously.

"Red's an entirely different person," she responded, as if that mattered to him at all.

"Yes, and I'm sure that's very important to you, but…" he raised his cane, a small sight popping up from the end as he pointed it at her, revealing it to be the barrel of a weapon, "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

With that, he fired a shot of what could only be described as a dangerous firework, which could have done serious damage, had she not fired a round from her scythe rifle into the ground, launching her into the air. When she landed, however, she saw that the man was gone. Turning sharply, she quickly found him climbing a ladder to the top of a roof.

Glancing at the shopkeeper as he stumbled out of the store, she asked, "You okay if I go after him?" When he grunted his agreement, she fired a shot from her scythe rifle and launched herself up to the roof, catching the man as he slowly made his way towards the edge of the roof on the other side.

"Hey!" she called out.

"Persistent…" he muttered half-irritably, half-grudgingly-respectfully as an airship arrived to take him away. Turning once he was inside, he held up a Fire Dust crystal and shouted, "End of the line, Red!"

At those words, he tossed the crystal at her feet, and prepared to shoot while laughing maniacally before she shouted, "I'm Ruby, not Red!"

Once again, he paused at the girl's sheer insanity, lowering his weapon slightly as he asked, "Really?! You want those to be the last words you say?! I'm about to kill you, and you decide to focus on a debate on who you are?! I'm using the nickname Red as a reference to your cape, you idiot!"

And with that, he once again pointed his weapon at the Dust crystal and fired, though he did not laugh maniacally, as the moment had been completely ruined. As the explosion went off, however, a blond-haired woman in a black cape arrived, forming a sigil with a riding crop, which seemed to stop the blast from causing any damage. When the smoke cleared, the man was shocked to see the Huntress, but even more shocked by the change in the child. Her hood had been raised once more, but now there was a mask that looked like a cross between a Beowolf and a mask that Torchwick knew belonged to one of the most dangerous bandits in Remnant, but that was not all that was different.

Gone was the cocky girl who had planned on taking on a criminal. The shape was technically the same, yet the girl was wrong, in all the other senses of the word. Death was the only word to describe her. Looking at her, Roman Torchwick thought of decay, of coffins and unfinished business. His throat was dry, and not from the cigar he'd been smoking. It was as if he was dying of thirst, yet, at the same time, he felt like he was drowning. He was burning, yet he was cold. Every instinct in his body told him to get as far away from the thing before him as possible, because before him was Death, itself, incarnate in the shape of a girl.

Then, the Huntress decided to capitalize on his shock and horror, sending purple blasts at the ship, batting it about. He quickly rushed to the cockpit and told the woman in the red dress that was steering the vessel "We've got a Huntress!"

The woman promptly rose from her seat while Roman tried to keep the ship flying amidst the barrage.

And at that moment, the Huntress summoned forth a storm with a concentrated effort, striking at the ship with hail like spears.

The woman in red's eyes glowed like fire as she began casting fire spells, attempting to keep the Huntress off the offensive, only to flicker at the sight of the girl who did not seem like a girl.

She maintained her attacks, but she couldn't help but feel fear at the un-child before her, who converted her scythe to a more practical rifle to shoot at her. The girl was wrong, to the woman's eyes. That much was the only solid thing she could say about her. Looking at her, however, Cinder saw a demon of sorts. Silver eyes glinted through the face of a Beowolf, converting the moonlight into an unnatural gleam as the creature collapsed the rifle and put it away. It looked like a thing of blood and rot that oozed up and took the shape of a girl, a creature that existed solely to destroy all she worked hard to steal for her own. Even worse, it felt like it would leave her alive after such an utter defeat.

And then a shot rang out and one of her heels was snapped by a bullet she didn't see, knocking her off-balance before she quickly shifted her weight and used Dust to reform the heel before making the ground burst beneath the two, allowing them to make good their escape.

When the Huntress turned to look at the girl, however, the mask and the horrifying sensations that the girl behind it had caused were gone, and in their place once again stood the cocky young girl, wielding a simple handgun, which she promptly placed inside of her cloak.

"You're a Huntress…" the girl noted in awe, before excitably asking, "Can I have your autograph?!"

* * *

Sitting sullenly in the interrogation room, Ruby listened to the Huntress lecture her.

"I hope you realize that your actions won't be taken lightly, young lady," she stated flatly as she paced, watching the security footage intently, "You put yourself and others in grave danger."

"They started it," she protested, feeling Red wanting to come to the forefront.

Ignoring her, the Huntress pressed on, "If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back…" Ruby perked up and Red eased up on her requests before the Huntress continued. "…And a slap on the wrist." She said firmly, slapping her crop down where Ruby's hand was before she pulled it away, forcing Red to stay back. "But, there's someone here who would like to meet you."

"Ruby Rose…" a voice called out from the dark doorway, before a grey-haired man dressed in green stepped into the light, holding a plate of cookies in one hand and a steaming mug in the other. Leaning in to get a good look at her, he continued. "You have… silver eyes…"

"Um…" she mumbled, thinking of mentioning how Red had silver eyes as well. Before she could, the man pressed on.

"So, where did you learn to do this?" he interrogated.

"Signal Academy…" she mumbled, feeling Red pushing harder to come to the front.

"They taught you to use the most dangerous weapon ever designed?" he pressed.

"Well, one teacher in particular…"

"I see…" he said, placing the cookies on the table in front of her. At the apparent gesture of good will, Red once again backed away, waiting for when she would be needed next. "It's just that I've only ever seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty old crow…"

"That's our Uncle Qrow," she said cheerfully through a mouthful of cookies, before swallowing the crumbs and repeating herself. "He's a teacher at Signal. We were complete garbage before he took me under his wing…"

"We…?" Glynda interrupted as they both blinked in surprise, "He had another student?"

"Me and Red," she explained, "You met her earlier, ma'am. She's where I got this." At those words, she pulled the handgun out of her cloak, inspected it carefully, then dismantled it.

"And would you be so kind as to introduce her to us?" he asked in interest.

"Are you sure you want to…?" she asked cautiously.

"It would likely be for the best," he responded simply.

"Alright…" she replied, "If you say so…"

The transition was practically imperceptible, physically speaking, for the most part. It was, after all, not a physical transformation, but rather a transformation of essence, for lack of a better description. The nervous young girl was gone, and in her place now saw an entity, which had the exact same face, but it was wrong, somehow. She, herself, gave off the feeling of something that shouldn't be, yet there she was, sitting before them, and neither sensed the same foreboding doom at her presence.

Glynda felt a sense of unease, as if the girl before her was somehow proving that no matter what happened, the enemy would win, and nothing could stop them. It was as if the girl, herself, was Death, come to collect them all, because they were already defeated, and humanity was destroyed.

Ozpin, in contrast, felt something like time, itself, the ticking of a clock that wouldn't stop, and the sensation of a small bird sharpening its beak on a diamond mountain every hundred years.

As the two regained their bearings, and the unnatural feeling became more of a lingering sensation in the back of their minds, the not-quite-natural girl before them pieced the handgun back together easily and placed it within her cloak, where it promptly vanished.

"Bazooka better choice," she muttered, her voice slightly deeper, "Red here."

That second part sounded like a cross between a greeting and a threat.

"Your other self tells us that you helped attempt to subdue Roman Torchwick and his cohort."

"Tried to stop," she replied, "Torchwick attempted escape. Hunted. Failed."

"And would you care to explain why that was?" he pressed gently.

"Had Bullhead. Did not use bazooka when chance provided."

"And you feel that would have made much of a difference, given the situation?"

"Fire witch missed shot. Could have capitalized," she replied, "My fault."

"So, why exactly did you and the other Ms. Rose pursue Torchwick?"

"Wanted to help," she shrugged, "Both dream of being Huntress. Both wish to help. Putting Ruby on."

It was a simple change in posture to an outside observer, but the fear that they felt was gone, as if it hadn't even been there in the first place.

"Sorry about that," Ruby apologized, "She's… An acquired taste. And not much of a talker."

"And what was that sensation she caused?" Ozpin asked, "That fear…"

"I don't know," she replied honestly, "She just kinda causes it. It's not her Semblance, though. I know that much…"

"Then what is?" Glynda pressed.

"You know how she said she should've used a bazooka instead of the handgun?" Ruby asked, "You see how I don't have one at all? She could pull one out of thin air, if she wanted to. She can pull any weapon she wants out. Using our cape just makes it easier on her. And, no. I have no idea how she does it. She just does."

"So, you're aware of what she's doing when she's in control of your body," Ozpin mused, "Would it be safe to assume that the reverse is true as well?"

"Well, yeah," she acknowledged, "We're still in the same body. She just tries to take over when things get a little too intense. I can push her back pretty easily, though, so I keep her back there, instead of turning her loose on the world."

Ozpin seemed almost confused by that, so Ruby said, "She's just a part of me that's sometimes arguing for me to let her out to keep me safe. I'm the whole thing. She's not." That did little to placate his confusion, and indeed managed to terrify him to an extent, but he decided to press on, rather than contemplate all of the terrifying possibilities.

"So, what made two adorable children in one body decide to go to an Academy to train warriors?" he asked. The fact that 'Red' was terrifying would not make him change his statement too much more than he needed to.

"We want to help people," Ruby said cheerfully, "Well, I do, and I think Red does, too. Red's a bit on the whole 'Great Good' end of the spectrum, though… Anyway, we're hoping to go to Beacon in two years, since our sister Yang is there and it's the best Academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses in the world. I mean, we probably could've become a police officer, or doctor, but being a huntress is so much more romantic and they're just so amazing and…" she let out a squeal of delight. "That, and Red seems to kinda like hunting, maybe a little more than I do…" she muttered, barely able to be heard as Glynda blinked slowly, somewhat skeptically at that speech.

"Do you know who I am?" he pressed.

"Professor Ozpin, headmaster at Beacon," Ruby answered.

He chuckled slightly, before simply saying, "Hello."

"Nice to meet you," she replied.

"So, you both want to join my school…"

"More than anything…"

He gave Glynda a quick glance, to which she gave a bemused sigh. "Well, okay…"

Ruby began to grin, when Glynda spoke up.

"You need to be careful with your other self," she said, "Not everyone will likely take her presence very well, and we would rather not have people constantly fleeing the classrooms in terror."

"Yes, ma'am," Ruby replied, before the horrifying shift occurred once again.

"Will behave when possible," Red stated plainly

"I suppose that you don't need the notification form, as your sister has already received it," Ozpin mused, "Just take care in being packed for tomorrow."

* * *

It was while on the airship the next day that Ruby found the air being crushed out of her lungs by her older sister's bearhug. Yang, for her part, was still too busy basking in her own sheer joy to be too concerned by that.

"I can't believe both my baby sisters are going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

At that moment, she felt a slight chill going down her spine, which could only mean one thing. Pulling back to confirm her suspicions, she was unsurprised to see Red staring at her with the stoic expression that she usually bore when not hunting or trying to hunt.

"Ruby couldn't breathe. Red panicked," she explained.

"Well, it's awesome that you're both going to be going to Beacon with me!" Yang said.

"Please stop." Red requested.

"But I'm so proud of you both!" Yang pressed.

"Torchwick escaped. Failure to stop enemy. Nothing special," Red responded

"What are you talking about? It was incredible!" Yang countered, "Everyone at Beacon's going to think you two are the bee's knees!"

Red tilted her head in that way that showed she did not understand the expression. Or that she was stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the expression because she loathed it. There were many such expressions, including one based on the expression 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink' or, strangely enough the phrase 'dead as a doornail,' though both Red and Ruby said that there was a perfectly good reason for her stance on that particular topic.

"They'll think you're really awesome," Yang offered.

"Ruby's awesome," Red agreed.

"Everyone will love you both!" Yang cheered.

"Please stop, you two," Ruby said, taking over briefly, "I just want to be a normal girl."

"Apologies," Red said softly once Ruby let her back to the surface.

"You know that's not what I meant," Ruby said, "We've been moved up two years. Everyone is older than us."

"Don't worry," Yang said gently, "They'll love you both."

"Will love Ruby," Red said, before returning to the back of Ruby's mind. When the volume seemed to increase on the large screen onboard, the two sisters turned to the sound of the news playing on the television screen, speaking about Torchwick and the Dust store robberies he'd been committing as of late, followed by a brief comment on the White Fang organization having recently turned more violent after a peaceful demonstration gone awry. Immediately, they were welcomed to Beacon by Glynda Goodwitch on the screen before glancing out the window at the marvelous display that was the Hunter's Academy.

"Well, Red's self-esteem still needs work," Yang noted, "But, I'm sure it'll all work out. Anyway, the most important thing to me is that you make friends." She looked Ruby square in the eye "That means you, too, Red. I'm sure you two can find people to hit it off with…"

* * *

Several people sneezed at the same time at different places, including a redhead that was calculating the weights of everyone on the ship she was on by appearances and also examining the types of weapons and armor they carried for two completely different reasons, an orange-haired girl who was currently being retrofitted for wireless controls for her swords, a white-haired girl who felt a chill down her spine, a blond-haired boy who was rushing towards the nearest trashcan due to airsickness, and quite a few others.

Needless to say, things were going to take a turn for the interesting at Beacon Academy.


	2. Chapter 2

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 2

Explosions and the Virtues of Getting to Know People

I don't own RWBY. Here, we see the beginning of friendships, among other things, as well as things beginning to become slightly different…

When the ships docked, it was to the credit of the blond who had been about to vomit that he had managed to hold in the majority of it long enough to get to a trashcan, but that was not important at the moment.

What was important, at least to both Ruby and Red, was that there were so many different weapons, though both had different reasons for their glee. Ruby, for her part, was a weapons fanatic and loved to examine the technical details that went into the creation of the weapons, whereas Red was a weapons fanatic more interested in how weapons could be used to cause damage to one's enemies. It is the sort of artistic difference that separates a Realist from an Impressionist. Where Ruby would modify Crescent Rose to improve her, Red would design a new weapon to pull out of wherever it was that she put things.

"Yang, he's got a collapsible staff, and she's got a firesword!" Ruby cheered as she began to trail after the latter, only to be pulled back by Yang.

"Ruby, relax, they're just weapons," Yang suggested.

"There's no such thing as just a weapon!" Ruby protested dramatically, "Our weapons are a part of who we are, a piece of our very essence. Meeting a new weapon is like meeting a new friend! …But better, because they're not people…"

She let Red take over to voice her opinion. "Weapons are tools. Personalization is secondary. People are fascinating."

"You're not drawing me into this argument again," Ruby protested as Red returned to her customary place in Ruby's mind before anyone could be overwhelmed by the fear.

"And I'm not getting into it, either," Yang noted, "When you two get into this fight, it's all kinds of dizzying."

"Well, we can still stick together, can't we?" Ruby pressed.

"Actually…" Yang said slowly, before joining with a large crowd, which then sped away, "I've got some friends I was going to meet up with, see you later!"

"Wait, where are we supposed to go!?" she shouted, taking a couple steps backwards, before crashing into a cart that had just been moved to that spot, knocking loose a briefcase full of jars of multicolored Dust.

"What do you think you're doing?" a haughty voice demanded, causing Ruby to turn towards the source of the voice, already feeling Red trying to take over and put them on the defensive.

Looking up, Ruby saw a white-haired girl with a scar on her left eye, who was approaching her with a jar of what looked to be Fire Dust, which was leaking.

"Do you have any idea what you could have done?" the girl continued indignantly.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said quickly, already feeling her left trigger finger slowly start as Red tried to push herself to the front, "I slipped."

The white-haired girl did not seem impressed as she shook the jar, causing more Dust to fly, forming a slight cloud that floated towards Ruby's face as she rose to her feet, "This is Dust! Dust! You know, the thing that powers pretty much everything, including, I assume, some part of your weapon?! You could have blown us up!"

"Uh…" Ruby pressed, trying to keep Red back while the Dust continued to accumulate as it moved closer and closer to Ruby, whose trigger finger was now fully twitching at her side as if lightly pulling a trigger repeatedly

"What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young too young to be here, anyway?" she demanded, finally stopping the shaking, unfortunately too late for the Dust to not have accumulated enough to cause Ruby's nose to be irritated enough to make her sneeze.

Fire!

Lightning!

Possibly little bit of Ice…

The explosion was a sight to behold, leaving a slight crater in the space the two girls were occupying.

"Now, look what you've done!" the white-haired girl glared, clearly about to begin a rant until Ruby cut her off.

"Look, Miss… Missy," Ruby pressed, having to push Red back much more firmly as she got back up, dusting herself off while her trigger finger was twitching much more insistently, "This whole thing was an accident, and the explosion was kinda your fault, anyway."

"'Miss Missy?'" the girl asked in surprise, seeming to not notice Ruby's remark, "Do you not know who I am? I'm Weiss Schnee."

"Schnee? Like Nicholas Schnee?" Ruby asked, feeling Red try to push forward more eagerly, which she supposed figured, given that Red had Nicholas Schnee as a personal source of fascination. Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure on why, though she had several ideas, but she didn't want to just ask about it.

"That was my grandfather," Weiss said, thrown off by that remark, "Founder of…"

"…The Schnee Dust Corporation," an amber-eyed, black-haired girl wearing a black bow on top of her head chimed in, handing Weiss another jar of Dust with the Schnee snowflake emblazoned upon it, "A business that has been noticeable in its inhumane treatment of their Faunus workers, particularly in recent years."

Weiss did not seem happy with that remark, opting to leave the group. Ruby dropped her guard for the briefest moment, and Red capitalized upon that, pushing to the front quickly. Since there was less of a chance for a fight with Weiss gone, Ruby let her keep control for the moment, only planning to take over if she felt Red would cause harm to herself or others.

Turning towards where the black-haired girl was standing, Red said, "Thanks fr—" She paused, seeing a dust cloud where the girl had been standing. Convinced that she had cost Ruby the chance at a new friend, Red dropped to the ground, feeling completely alone outside of Ruby as she pulled her mask over her face.

At that moment, she saw, in the corner of her vision, the extended hand of a blond boy who was clearly trembling, no doubt due to her 'fear thing,' as Yang called it, but did not withdraw his hand as Red took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Friend?" Red asked, tilting her head. Perhaps her tone did not help matters, as the boy began to hastily walk away.

Red stared flatly before she began pursuit. She had made her first friend, and she was not going to let him get away that easily.

* * *

"Anyway, I'm sorry about the whole 'running away' thing," the boy, who she had learned was named Jaune noted, politeness barely pushing him through the sensation of being hunted by some unseen monster that wanted nothing more than to kill and eat him as they walked the campus grounds, "Something about you just scares me."

"My nature," Red shrugged, "Not Ruby's though."

"Speaking of that," he mused, "Let me see if I got that straight. Your name is Red."

Red nodded.

"You are a second personality to a girl named Ruby…"

Red nodded again.

"And you have some sort of fear thing that makes people scared around you?"

"Exactly," Red replied.

"Well, my mom always said, 'Just because someone's scary doesn't mean that the want to hurt you.' That and 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met, yet.' I guess that makes you a twofer for her advice."

"Optimistic outlook," Red noted, pulling her mask off, "Putting Ruby on, now."

The change was noticeable to Jaune, as the weight of horror was suddenly lifted from his heart and mind and Red seemed to vanish, leaving Ruby in charge of their body once more.

"Sorry about the whole 'hunting you down' thing," Ruby apologized for Red, "She and I have problems with dealing with people…"

"That's your voice?" Jaune asked, clearly surprised by the change in pitch.

"Yep," Ruby replied freely.

"Anyway, don't worry about the chasing thing," he shrugged good-naturedly, "I grew up with seven sisters. The netgun was a new thing to me, though. Where did that go, anyway?"

"She didn't want to kill you, for what it's worth," Ruby offered, "She loves using her weapons as tools. Personally, I love weapons, but my favorite will always be my beautiful Crescent Rose." So saying, she pulled out her beloved scythe, unfolding the weapon.

"Is that a scythe?!" Jaune asked incredulously with a touch of horror, having assumed that the netgun was her weapon.

"She's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle," she grinned. At his confused expression, she switched to layman's terms, "It's also a gun. So, what've you got?"

"First of all, that is cool," Jaune said, gesturing at the scythe-gun, which he supposed was probably also where the net came from, given that he hadn't actually seen the netgun. "Anyway, I've got these!" he continued, drawing his sword from its sheath, before said sheath opened to become a shield.

"What do they do?" Ruby asked, before a light tap to the shield caused it to fly up and convert back to a sheath.

"The shield gets… smaller?" he offered slowly, as if unsure of how to describe it, "So, if I get tired of carrying it, I can just put it away."

"Doesn't it weigh the same, either way?"

"Yeah…" he sighed, before brightening up as a thought occurred to him, "But, this way, I don't have to hold it up everywhere I go."

"Well, I am a bit of a weapon's nut," she admitted, "I might have gone a bit overboard when I designed her… I remember I had to be talked down from the chain that would let me fire the spike on the end so I could pull things in closer. And the chainsaw attachment. The miniaturized rocket launcher… The drilling… Let's just say there were a lot of things and leave it at that. Red just keeps taking out more weapons from wherever it is that her Semblance keeps them."

"Wait. You designed that?!" Jaune asked, focusing on the bit that wouldn't either give him nightmares or make him question everything he ever knew about reality.

"Oh, yeah. Every student does at Signal," she replied, "You didn't?"

"It's a hand-me-down," he replied, "My great-great grandfather used it in the War."

"Isn't that more of an heirloom?" she asked, while Red concurred with her assessment.

"I guess you're right…" he mused.

"Well, I think it's nice," Ruby said, "Not many people appreciate the classics. Hold on. Red wants to chime in really quick."

Once again, Jaune felt it. Eyes locked onto the back of his head, a large burst of hot air along the back of his neck, and the phantom prickling of his skin, as if something was about to bite down on his flesh, and his body only being able to brace itself for the pain.

"Needs sharpening," Red said, reaching into the cloak to withdraw a sharpening stone, a small container of oil, a clean cloth, and some polish. "Tools only useful when honed properly. Putting Ruby back on."

The sensation vanishing was like getting freed from quicksand when Ruby returned to the surface.

"So, why did you help Red out in the courtyard back there?" she asked, "Normally, people tend to try to not touch her. I'm sure you noticed that she's a little off-putting for a lot of people."

"Eh, why not?" he replied simply, "My mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met, yet.' Besides, if I let being afraid keep me from helping people, I wouldn't have come here. Even if Red is kinda terrifying."

"Fair enough. Where are we going, anyway?" she asked.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I was just following Red… Do you think there's a directory…? Some sort of recognizable landmark?"

"I don't think so," Ruby chuckled.

* * *

"Oh, thank goodness," Jaune said as they approached a building being entered by other students some time later, "We found everyone…"

As they entered the building, Ruby immediately found herself being called by Yang.

"Sis!" she shouted, waving her over, "Saved a spot for you!"

"Well, I've gotta go," Ruby said, "See you after the ceremony!"

"Wait," Jaune called out ineffectually, before sighing, "Great. Now where am I going to find a nice quirky girl to talk to?"

He was unaware of the redheaded girl standing behind him, who went from observing various people to focusing on him, a curious gleam in her eye that no one would have been able to place.

"So, how's your first day, going, little sisters?" Yang asked cheerfully, nudging Ruby for information.

"You mean after you ditched us, and I exploded?" Ruby demanded.

Yang suddenly looked at the crowd in concern, before leaning in closer and speaking a bit more softly, "How many people did Red hurt?"

"No, literally!" Ruby replied flatly, "There's a crater in front of the school and everything! There was Dust, fire, I think some ice, and lightning… And there was this one crabby girl. I tripped over her luggage, the Dust came out, and she started yelling, my trigger finger started twitching again, then the explosion, and she started yelling again… I just wanted her to stop yelling before…"

"You!" said girl shouted from behind her, causing Ruby to leap into Yang's arm in surprise, her trigger finger once again beginning to twitch.

"Oh, god, it's happening again!" Ruby shouted, before Yang set her down.

"We're both lucky you didn't blow us both off the cliff!" Weiss continued.

"My god, you actually blew yourself up," Yang said in a deadpan, too surprised for anything else.

"Here," Weiss said flatly, offering Ruby a pamphlet labeled _Dust for Dummies and other Inadequate Individuals_. "The Schnee Dust Corporation is not responsible for any damages sustained while operating or handling a Schnee Dust Corporation product. While not mandatory, the Schnee Family does recommend reading and familiarize themselves with this easy-to-follow guide to Dust application and practice in the field." At Ruby's blank expression, she continued, "You really want to make things up to me?"

"Uh, yeah…" Ruby replied hesitantly, her hands perfectly still.

"Read this and never talk to me again," she said, pushing the pamphlet towards Ruby.

Taking the pamphlet with her right hand, Ruby looked Weiss dead in the eye and asked, "Do those instructions include rules about waving leaking containers of Dust in someone's face?"

Weiss paused, giving Ruby a slight glare as she said, "Touché…"

Before either could say anything further and potentially escalate the situation to Red levels of disagreement, Yang quickly stepped in.

"Look, you two clearly got off on the wrong foot," she said, offering the two an out for this conversation, "Why don't you start over, try to be friends?"

Ruby seized the lifeline as if she were in the middle of the ocean, clearly also intent on avoiding that particular battle as she held a hand out for Weiss to shake, "Great idea, sis! Hello, Weiss. I'm Ruby. Want to hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."

"Yeah!" Weiss smiled disingenuously, "And we can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!" She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb, where Jaune was standing to further emphasize her comment.

"Really?" Ruby asked, not really believing her, but still somewhat hopeful that she wasn't being facetious.

"No."

Ruby's trigger finger was once again twitching at her side, and she was half tempted to let Red out for a brief moment just to scare her, when the sound of Professor Ozpin clearing his throat in front of a microphone caused everyone to stop what they were doing.

"I'll keep this brief," Ozpin said in a more tired, cynical tone than the one Ruby and Red had heard last night, "You have traveled here today in search of Knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look among you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume Knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far." In the crowd, Ruby's expression went serious as she and Red absorbed the speech, "It is up to you to take the first step."

His speech finished, Ozpin slowly made his way offstage while Glynda took his spot and said, "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"He seemed kinda… off," Yang noted.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there," Ruby agreed. Inside her, Red seemed similarly confused, trying to puzzle out what was off about him. Beside her, even Weiss seemed thrown a bit off by his speech and mannerisms, as she nodded slightly. Their musings, however, were thrown off by Jaune, who took this moment to approach.

"I'm a natural blond, you know," he said, though whether he was stating it due to somehow being offended or to try to flirt, none of them were certain. Weiss, for her part, simply looked down and pressed her fingertips to the bridge of her nose.

* * *

Night came, and the shape of a whole moon could be seen through the Academy's window as Ruby wrote in the candlelight of the ballroom.

"Whatcha writing?" Yang asked cheerfully, adjusting the right sleeve of her orange t-shirt.

"A letter to the gang back at Signal," Ruby replied, "I promised to tell them about Beacon and how things are going."

Left unspoken was that Red did not need to write such letters, given the fact that she scared most of the people at Signal.

"That's so cute!" Yang teased, only to receive a pillow to the face.

"Shut up," Ruby glared, "I didn't get to take my friends with me. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

"What about Jaune? You're friends, aren't you?" Yang offered, "See, one hundred percent friend increase."

"Weiss is probably a negative friend," Ruby noted dryly, "So, net zero."

"There's no such thing as a negative friend," Yang replied with a grin, "So, one friend, one enemy." She caught the corgi pillow thrown right before it struck her face, before she began to speak seriously. "It's your first day. So, you had a rough start. Don't worry about it. You're surrounded by friends. You just haven't met them, yet."

A candelabra was lit nearby, drawing the pair's attention to it. There, reading a book, was the dark-haired girl from earlier.

"That girl," Ruby murmured.

"You know her?" Yang asked.

"Not really," Ruby admitted, "She saw the whole thing this morning, but left right before Red could talk to her about it."

"Well, one of you can go talk to her, now," Yang smiled, dragging a protesting Ruby towards the girl, who looked up at the sound of the protests. Seeing the girl looking up, Yang called out in a singsong, "Hello! I believe you two know each other…"

"Aren't you the girl that exploded?" the girl asked, "You seem less… Never mind."

"Yeah, my name's Ruby," Ruby said, offering her hand to shake. The girl, in turn, glanced back down at her book.

"So, what's your name?" Yang asked when Ruby did not continue.

"Blake," Blake sighed, looking up from her book once again before once again attempting to return to her book.

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister," Yang supplied, "I like your bow."

"Thanks," Blake said tersely, clearly wanting to end the conversation. Yang persevered regardless.

"It goes great with your… pajamas…"

"Right…"

Ruby stood there awkwardly as Yang continued to try to engage in small talk. "Nice night, don't you think?"

"Yes, it's lovely," Blake replied with a flat stare, "Almost as lovely as the book I'm reading…"

Yang and Ruby did not move.

"Which I will continue reading…"

Yang and Ruby were now both smiling awkwardly.

"Once you're gone," Blake added plainly, a deadpan stare in her eyes as she tried to get them to realize the point she was getting at.

"Come on, Ruby," Yang sighed, "This girl's a lost cause."

"What's it about?" Ruby asked, not moving.

"What?" Blake asked, looking up from her book once more, seeming intrigued this time.

"Your book," Ruby clarified, "What's it about?"

"Well, it's about a man with two souls," Blake explained, "Each fighting over control over his body."

"Sounds a bit like someone you and Red can relate to a little bit, eh Ruby?" Yang teased.

"I love books," Ruby said to Blake instead of responding to Yang's comment. "Yang used to read to us every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters… They're one of the reasons I wanted to become a Huntress."

"Why's that?" Blake asked with a chuckle that, while not cruel, did sound skeptical, "Hoping to find your 'happily ever after?'"

"Well, I'm hoping we all will," Ruby replied honestly, "When I was a little girl, Red and I wanted to be just like the heroes in those books. Someone who fought for what was right and helped people who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's very ambitious for children," Blake smiled softly, seeming to assume that Red was a younger sibling that wasn't in Beacon, yet. Then her expression grew tired and sad as she continued, "Unfortunately, the real world isn't like a fairy tale."

"That's what we're here for," Ruby replied earnestly, "To make it better."

Her grand moment was ruined by Yang immediately gripping her in a bear hug.

"Oh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang said, lifting her off the ground generally treating her like a small child.

"Cut it out!" Ruby protested, beginning a sisterly scuffle.

Blake looked at the pair as a slight smile formed on her face, "Well, Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to—"

"What in the world is going on over here?" Weiss protested, "Don't you realize that some of us are trying to sleep?!"

Looking at one another, Yang and Weiss immediately shouted, "Oh, no, not you again!"

"Shh! Guys, she's right," Ruby whispered, "People are trying to sleep."

"Oh, now you're on my side," Weiss noted sarcastically.

"I was always on your side!" Ruby whisper-shouted as Blake set her book down.

"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister!" Yang argued, "She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss replied indignantly.

Now certain that she wasn't going to get to finish her book, Blake blew out the candles of her candelabra, settling down for the night as the argument continued.


	3. Chapter 3

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 3

Teamwork and the Inherent Attributes of Hunters and Prey

I don't own RWBY. Here, we see the beginning of the partnerships, as well as some exposition and Weiss meeting Red. Sorry this is two days late. I was busy with other things this week.

There were, it must be said, two people, a girl with short-cut orange hair and a boy with long scraggly black hair with a single streak of pink in it. These two were a pair of opposites, one being more exuberant, and the other being more reticent. This was illustrated best in their morning routine when they woke that morning.

As he had come to expect, she had already been awake when he woke, and was leaning in so that her eyes were the first thing he saw, as they were every morning. Once she was assured he was alert, she began their usual ritual.

"Wake up, lazy bud!" she greeted, before singing, "It's morning, it's morning it's morning!" as she darted about him.

As they continued through their routine, him with his usual tiredness and her boundless energy, she continued to speak as he aimlessly continued preparing.

"I can't believe we're still at Beacon after twenty-four hours!" she said cheerfully, "Not that I thought we'd be expelled or anything, I mean you're the perfect student and I'm me, but it's crazy, I mean, we've been best friends for so long! What are the odds we'd still be together? I mean, not together-together, not that I'm saying you're not handsome, you are handsome, but that'd be so weird, wouldn't it?!" She laughed nervously, though, he gave no indication that he'd noticed that slip. But still, I hope we're on the same team together." She paused to finish the pancake in her mouth, "We should come up with a plan to get on the same team! What if we bribe the Headmaster? Terrible idea. He's got a whole school. I know! We could come up with some sort of signal! A secret signal so we can find each other in the forest! Can you do an impression of a sloth?"

"Nora," he said his first word of the morning with the familiarity of one who often forgot the person they were speaking to hadn't always been a part of their life, "I don't think sloths make a lot of noise…" With those words, his stylized machine guns, with blades beneath the end of the barrels, slid into his sleeves, leaving no sign that they were there at all.

Nora blinked twice before grinning wider as she said, "That's why it's perfect, Ren! No one would expect it or even suspect that we're working together!"

"Come on, Nora," he said with a soft, fond sigh as he shut the locker behind him.

"But not together-together…" Nora corrected herself as they made their way to the exit.

"Odd couple…" Red said as she casually took Crescent Rose out of the locker, her mask hidden in her hood for the moment.

"I see you're running the show this morning," Yang said, shrugging off the existential dread as always.

Red closed her eyes and Ruby opened them, ending the sensation of fear while Ruby's grip on her weapon became more loving as she said, "I promised Red she'd be able to handle the first Grimm we came across as long as she let me take over later. Honestly, I'm so excited! Red and I don't have to deal with socializing, this time! It'll just be me and my sweetheart, and she'll do the talking."

"I swear," Yang chuckled, "If any weapon could hold a conversation, you'd probably wind up dating it. At any rate, you've got to get used to working with others if you want to grow up. I mean, you're not exactly the only person going through initiation, after all."

"You sound like dad," Ruby grumbled, "What does meeting new people have to do with hunting, anyway. And I don't need to make friends to grow up. I drink milk."

"And what about when we have teams?" Yang asked dryly.

"Then… I-I guess I'll be on your team…" she replied.

"Maybe you could try being on someone else's team," Yang suggested, "Get a chance to break out of your shell."

Red took over once again as she said, "New companions useful. Help in fighting and for moral support."

Ruby let her slide back into the back of their shared mind as she said, "Now don't you both start ganging up on me. I swear, this whole thing is ridiculous!"

As she said that word, Jaune walked past, muttering to himself as to where his locker was. Right as he passed the redheaded girl who kept weighing everyone by sight, said girl was approached by Weiss.

"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on?" she asked, "I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with a strong, well-known figure such as yourself."

"Hm…" Pyrrha muttered, pondering how easy-to-lift Weiss looked, "I'm not quite sure, to be honest. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Well, I think that we could be on a team together," Weiss offered.

"That sounds grand," Pyrrha said.

Weiss immediately began musing upon how they would be a perfect pair, being the strongest and the smartest girl in the school, before determining that they would be unstoppable together.

'Nothing could come between us!' she concluded in her thoughts.

As if to prove her wrong, Jaune immediately chimed in, leaning against a locker between them as he said, "You know what else is great? Me, Jaune Arc."

"You again?" Weiss asked, clearly displeased.

"It's nice to meet you, Jaune!" Pyrrha chimed in, causing Jaune to turn to face her.

"Nice to meet you, too," he replied amiably, before turning his attention back to Weiss, "So, I heard something about teams. Why don't you and I partner up?"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that teams are units of four people…" Pyrrha chimed in.

"Huh," Jaune noted, "Then why don't you join the winning team?" He gestured towards himself and the clearly unimpressed Weiss with his thumb enthusiastically.

"Listen," Weiss said, stepping between them, "Jaune, was it? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

"Not in the slightest," he replied, before pausing, "Oh my god. I didn't ask your name!"

"This is Pyrrha," Weiss introduced before Pyrrha could speak up, "She graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum."

"I've never heard of it," he admitted.

"She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row… A new record!" Weiss pressed.

"Nice!" Jaune said, before asking "What… exactly is that?"

"She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

Jaune gasped, finally recognizing something, "That's you?! They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

"Yeah it was pretty cool," Pyrrha replied, "Sadly, the cereal is actually bad for you?"

"So, having heard that," Weiss stated flatly, "Do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?"

"I guess not…" Jaune said, "Sorry…"

"Actually, I think that Jaune could be a great leader," Pyrrha said, trying to bolster his confidence.

"Really?" Jaune asked, sounding both doubtful and happy.

"Would all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff for initiation?" Glynda's voice said over the speakers. "Again, all first-year students, report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"We should probably be off," Weiss suggested.

"Agreed," Pyrrha said amiable, her weapon in one hand as she slung Jaune over her free shoulder, "You weigh less than I thought you would."

Jaune, having come to the conclusion that Huntsmen and Huntresses were simply odd like that, simply let it be. The fact that Ruby and her sister weren't even bothering to react indicated that it was probably a fairly common occurrence.

* * *

Once students were all lined up upon platforms on the edge of the cliff, Ozpin began to speak.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Glynda stated, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. You will be receiving your teammates today."

Ruby was less than enthused, but, in the back of her mind, Red was excited at the prospect of people that she could attempt to befriend.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time at Beacon," Ozpin continued, "So, it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you lock eyes with will be your partner for the next four years here."

"Told you," Nora admonished Ren, who once again had that slight fond smile on his face before Ozpin continued.

"After you've gotten your partner, head to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition on the way. Destroy anything that gets in your way, or you will die out there."

Everyone felt a sense of dread when he said that, as Ruby pulled up her hood and Red lowered her mask over her face with a grin at those words.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but the instructors will not intervene under any circumstances. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Beside Red, Jaune nervously began to ask one, only to be cut off by Ozpin, who clearly did not wish to hear any as he said, "Good. Now, take your positions."

"Sir, I've got a question," Jaune said with a slight urgency as students were catapulted off the cliff one by one, "This 'landing strategy' thing? What exactly is it? You're dropping us off, or something?"

"No," Ozpin stated with what sounded like dark amusement, "You will be falling?"

"…With a parachute, right?" he pressed hopefully.

"No," Ozpin repeated, "You'll have to figure it out on your own."

Yang grinned at Red before putting on sunglasses as she was launched off into the air. Red gave Jaune a joking salute before she, too flew off.

"Okay, maybe I should have led with this," Jaune said, "But what exactly is…"

He began screaming as he hurtled through the air.

Ozpin took a sip from his mug and watched them fly off.

"I think you get too much enjoyment out of this," Glynda noted dryly.

* * *

Each student flew and landed with the level of skill and style that could be expected of Huntsmen and Huntresses, From Red with Crescent Rose to Pyrrha and her own weapon slicing her way to a safe landing. Jaune, in contrast, was hurtling to his doom when Pyrrha spotted him with her rifle. After a quick assessment of where he would fall, she threw her spear with a firm finality, the weapon vanishing into the distance, until it pinned to a tree with a twang.

"Thank you!" Jaune could be heard to call from the distance.

"Sorry!" Pyrrha called out to him, already charting out the course she would take to get to him.

Weiss was alone in the Forest for some time, yet she had not once come across the enemy or another soul. She needed to find the latter and would be able to put her skills to the test if she came across the former. It was at that moment she heard an odd, yet violent roar, punctuated by gunfire, all coming from nearby.

She was already racing to help them before she even thought on the fact that she would need to do so. She thought that Nicholas Schnee and her sister, Winter would have been proud of her, though the latter would probably admonish her for moving before thinking.

It was when she got to the clearing, a strange sense of trepidation growing as she neared the scene, that she saw it.

It was precise, elegant, and unyielding, yet simultaneously unpredictable, brutal, and seemingly in a constant state of motion. The Grimm, Beowolves, to be precise, were attempting to strike a red-cloaked figure that tore through them with a scythe-gun hybrid that the figure used with the precision of an artist, switching from gun to scythe, to a combination of the two with a mastery that only one with a complete mastery of the weapon could use.

Weiss couldn't help but stare at the brutal display as her fellow first-year tore through the Grimm as if she were a fish moving through a stream.

Some part of her mind thought of how the only girl in a red hood that she had seen was the girl Ruby, but she seemed… wrong. Ruby, whatever else Weiss thought of her, had an almost inviting presence, if she were being honest. This girl had a distant, cold feeling, like freezing stone walls in a vast empty house, like no one would ever be around if she needed someone to be there for her.

Weiss, for her part, kept her eyes on the scene with Myrtenaster raised, waiting to see an opening in which she could strike without harming her. As the last Grimm fell, however, the girl before Weiss landed in front of her with silver eyes behind a mockery of a Beowolf's mask glinting in the sunlight as she converted the scythe to a compact rifle and slid it behind her. Their eyes locked and the masked girl lifted her mask to reveal a face that managed to simultaneously be Ruby's face and not be Ruby's face.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked slowly, trying to figure out what it was about that girl that was throwing her off, why she felt fear at the sight of someone who showed no visible intent to harm her.

"Red. Part of Ruby, but not Ruby," the other girl replied simply, speaking with a slightly deeper voice than the one Ruby had, "Partner."

It was not a question, and Weiss doubted she wanted to discuss it.

"Try to keep up," Weiss said, trying to take control of the situation as she sheathed her weapon.

Red nodded. "Ruby's semblance: Speed. Putting her on."

Red closed her eyes, and Ruby opened them. The sense of loneliness and cold emptiness immediately vanished as Ruby pulled back the hood, the mask nowhere to be found.

"What on earth was that?" Weiss asked, though there was not a particular amount of heat in her words.

"That was Red," Ruby answered, "She's… part of me. I really don't know how to describe it."

"You have dissociative identity disorder?"

"Not really," Ruby replied, "I remember everything she does and vice-versa. DID includes issues with memory. It's more like two different people switching off the controller of a game, but in our case, the game is life. We can talk about that later, though. It's kinda complicated. Like she said, though, I'm faster"

"Well, come on," Weiss said, "We've got a relic to claim. Try to keep up."

She turned and started walking, only to see Ruby standing right in her path, rose petals seeming to float in the air inexplicably.

* * *

Nearby, though the two did not notice, Jaune was hanging from the tree Pyrrha had pinned him to.

"So, this is how I die…" he said dramatically, "Alone and pinned to a tree..."

"You're not going to die today," Pyrrha replied from the ground below him, locking eyes with him, "Is there still a spot on the winning team?" The last part was said with a slight chuckle.

"Ha ha," he responded dryly, yet he had a slight smile on his face as he did so.

* * *

"So…" Ruby said slowly as they walked, "What does your weapon do?"

"Myrtenaster is a precision-made revolver rapier designed to hold various Dust cartridges that allow me to use different forms of Dust as needed," Weiss said, once again drawing her rapier so Ruby could get a full view of the weapon.

"She's absolutely beautiful," Ruby said, staring at the blade with admiration, "Is it just pulverized Dust that you refill with more of it, or do you have full cartridges ready to load? How many uses do you get from one chamber? Can you mix varieties of dust that are compatible? Like could you mix Wind Dust into a Fire Dust chamber, so you could increase the spread of flames?"

"I actually hadn't thought of that," Weiss admitted, "I think I'll need to experiment with that at some point."

It was at that moment that the pair heard the sound of Beowolves snarling around them, their red eyes glinting in the shadows.

* * *

Elsewhere, Yang was bored. Thus far, she hadn't seen anything or anyone during her trip through the woods.

A black shadow moved swiftly through the trees, watching her silently.

Yang heard a rustling sound in the bushes.

"Ruby? Red?" she asked, pushing aside the bushes to get a better look, "That either of you?"

The Grimm hiding in there growled.

"Nope," Yang said, before quickly rolling out of the path of the Beowolf as it slammed through the trees.

At that exact moment, another arrived, only to be quickly evaded by a smirking Yang. When they tried again, she activated her weapons and used them to great effect in knocking them back, the force of the recoil amplifying her attacks

"You guys haven't seen a girl in a red hood, have you?" she asked, "Actually, forget that. You'd be dead if you had."

The Beowolves roared.

"Tough crowd," she said, "Hey, how many Beowolves does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

One charged, slashing at her with colossal claws.

"Guess you heard that one," she said as she flipped away. Once she was a good distance, she chuckled, "Geez, you guys couldn't hit the broad side of a…"

Sometimes, time seems to slow down for a person. Their mind perceives things moving at a slower rate than it usually would, allowing them to take full stock of what they were experiencing.

This was one of those moments.

Yang watched as a single piece of a golden lock of hair seemed to fall. The landing, a silent affair to the shadow watching from the trees, roared like thunder in Yang's ears.

She felt rage burning deep within her and allowed it to rise to the surface, her eyes flashing red as she did so. She fired off a round from each gauntlet as she shouted "You… You monsters!"

She lunged for the beast that had cut her hair and began to pummel to death with great violence and the zeal of a berserker.

After that, the surviving Grim charged up to her, stopping a claw-strike's distance away from her as it snarled.

"What, you want some too?!" Yang shouted. It was at that moment that the shadow revealed itself with a blade piercing the beast from behind, causing to fall over, revealing Blake standing there. Silently, Blake drew back her blade and offered a smirk as she locked eyes with Yang, who stared blankly for a moment before she glibly said, "I could've taken him."

* * *

Ruby counted the Grimm before nodding to Weiss, "I take the five on the left, you take the five on the right?"

"I thought you were more of the 'lone wolf' type," Weiss noted dryly as she took up a textbook perfect stance.

"I'm not good with people," Ruby admitted, drawing Crescent Rose and setting her weapon to scythe mode, "But I am good with fighting. Plus, having Red in here," she tapped the side of her head with two fingers, "Means I'm used to teaming up for a fight."

With that, she seemed to vanish in a stream of rose petals, setting to work on her Grimm. Not to be outdone, Weiss began with a burst of Fire Dust to tear through the one before her, lighting it ablaze before switching chambers and forming a glyph to propel herself forward, allowing her to tear through the enemy with a terpsichorean precision as she ducked, weaved, and propelled herself across her side of the battlefield, occasionally ducking under rose petals as the Grimm they each faced crossed through the other's field. Once they were both done with their grim business, Weiss asked what she considered the pertinent question.

"Why did Red not use your Semblance?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"Same reason you didn't use my Semblance," Ruby replied, "She and I have two different Semblances."

"That's what the fear thing is, isn't it?" she deduced, setting aside the two Semblances issue for a later discussion.

"No, that's just Red being Red," Ruby corrected, "We have no idea how she does that. Her Semblance lets her pull any weapon she wants out of thin air but using our cloak to do it saves her energy, somehow."

"I see…" Weiss noted, "I must admit, though you weren't in any way elegant while fighting, you fought effectively."

"You did a good job, too," Ruby replied, "And Myrtenaster was amazing to watch in action." She glanced at Crescent Rose, currently in a compact rifle form as she apologetically cried out, "But I still love you, sweetheart! There's no other weapon that I'd ever want to fight with!"

Weiss deliberately said nothing but, as they continued down their path, she wasn't sure how many more surprises she'd be willing to tolerate from her odd partner. Neither of them noticed the giant black feather that slowly plummeted to the ground behind them.

* * *

Jaune and Pyrrha, meanwhile, were making their way through the Forest, trying to trek their way to the ruins where the relics could be found.

As they continued, Jaune paused at the sound of explosions in the distance.

"Gunfire," Pyrrha said with mild interest, "Our comrades have found the enemy. May they prove themselves the stronger in their battle." She continued to lead them onward, pushing branches out of her path. It was at that moment that one particular branch struck Jaune in the face, knocking him back as it scratched him.

"Jaune!" she said, "I'm sorry."

"Just a scratch," he assured her, "Don't worry about it."

"Why didn't you activate your Aura?" she asked.

"What?" he asked.

"Your Aura," she repeated.

"Gesundheit," he replied, clearly intent on making light of his apparent lack of knowledge.

"Jaune…" she said slowly, "Do you… know what Aura is?"

"I think that we both know the answer to that question," he admitted.

"Aura is the manifestation of our souls," she explained, "It bears our burdens and shields our hearts."

Little did either of them know, elsewhere, Ren was wandering through the forest, before slowing to a halt.

"Have you ever felt like you were being watched without knowing someone was there?" she pressed.

"Yes," Jaune replied, enraptured already.

Ren tensed as a giant serpent, a King Taijitu rose a black head out of the grass and lunged for him.

"With practice, our Aura can be our shield," Pyrrha continued, circling Jaune as she spoke, "Everyone has it, even animals."

"What about monsters?" Jaune asked, "Like the Grimm?"

"No," Pyrrha said flatly, "The monsters we fight lack a soul. As you said, they are Creatures of Grimm. The manifestation of anonymity. They are the dark, we are the light"

Ren blocked the attack, causing the serpent to begin to circle him rapidly. Ren drew his guns and fired as he leapt into the air, spinning in tight, controlled spirals as he did so.

"So that's why we fight them…" Jaune mused.

"It's not about 'Why?'" Pyrrha corrected him, "It's about knowing."

Ren stabbed the head that he had been fighting.

"Understanding dark and light is the key to manifesting our Aura."

A second, white head attempted to attack, causing Ren to leap off of the one he had attacked, allowing it to get loose as they readied to attack.

"By bearing your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm," Pyrrha continued, as Jaune turned to follow her with his eyes, his entire focus upon her and her words, "All of our tools and equipment are conduits for our Aura."

Ren slid along the length of the Grimm, shooting at the heads as he did so, only to be smacked to the ground by the white head, his guns knocked out of his hands as the black head lunged for him, fangs bared.

"You project yourself and your soul with fighting," Pyrrha pressed onward still.

"Like a forcefield!" Jaune concluded.

"Yes, if you want to look at it that way," Pyrrha noted, sounding almost amused.

Simultaneously, Ren used his Aura as a shield to block the fangs of the black head before pushing to knock them loose. One he had done so, he immediately grabbed one and threw it into the eye of the black head before applying both the force of the blow and application of Aura to blow the head up.

He raced for the second head, intent on completing the job.

"Now," Pyrrha said, now moving in on Jaune, resting a hand against his cheek, "Close your eyes and concentrate…"

"Uh… Okay," he replied, doing as requested.

Pyrrha, in turn, closed her own eyes, channeling a bit of her own Aura as in Jaune's mind, her voice said, "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. By the oaths of those that came before, we are made into something greater. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee."

She released her grip on him, seeming winded by the process.

"Pyrrha?!" he asked in concern, reaching out to her.

"It's alright," she said, "I used a bit of my Aura to unlock yours. The energy protecting you is your own, however." She smiled as his scratch healed itself, "You have a lot."

"Wow…" Jaune said, feeling as if he were somehow more complete than he had been before.

* * *

Unaware of all of this, Ren returned his guns to their holsters up his sleeves when an unmistakable voice called out from the trees.

"Craw! Craw!" the voice called out in an almost musical tone.

Ren turned to where he knew Nora was. As she allowed herself to hang upside down from the branch, their eyes locking as she did so, he smiled fondly at her as he chuckled and, "I still don't think that's how a sloth sounds, Nora."

In response, she simply touched the tip of his nose with her index finger and said, "Boop."

With that, she stuck her tongue out at him while his smile widened slightly at her antics, both of them relieved to have found the other and being able to partnered up with them.


	4. Chapter 4

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 4

The Beginning of Teams and Reasons to Fear the Reaper

I don't own Ruby. This is the point where we begin teetering along the rails of canon for the story. This chapter was finished one day early, so I decided to put it up, since last month's chapter was a bit late.

Weiss wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to kill her partner at this point. At first, they had been getting along well, and had been discussing the finer points of their techniques, but then Ruby began to unsubtly steer the conversation towards Myrtenaster.

"… And the craftsmanship on her is gorgeous!" she said, "I know the revolver sword isn't that common in this day and age, but just look at her! She's elegant, with the weight distribution allowing you to maneuver her any way you want! And the detailing on her. Look at that. It's an artisan's work. Then the steel! Oh, god! That's Atlesian Steel! Genuine Atlesian Steel! The use of Dust in place of carbon was thought to be impossible until Atlas figured it out! And my gods, the chambers! At first glance I thought they were glass, but it's clearly transparent aluminum! It must have taken you months to get the shape perfect!"

"I didn't actually make the chambers for it on my own," Weiss noted idly, before saying, "And could you stop gushing about my weapon? It's getting annoying."

"Sorry!" Ruby apologized, "She's just so beautiful and…" She pulled out Crescent Rose and said, "Not that you aren't beautiful, sweetheart! I wouldn't have had so much as a different bolt. I'm so proud of you…"

"You're… really attached to your weapon, aren't you?" Weiss asked.

"She's my baby," Ruby replied, "I machined everything, from the tiniest gear to the largest blade."

Weiss felt the cold and loneliness once more as Ruby shifted without actually changing or missing a step as she did so.

"Apologies," Red noted, "Ruby fond of weapons. Beautiful form."

"I know," Weiss noted dryly, "She was just going on about it."

"Meant your fighting," Red replied, "Classically trained?"

"My sister taught me how to fight properly," Weiss agreed. Somehow, she felt slightly less worried about the loneliness that Red caused her to feel. Perhaps it was because Red was obviously there and willing to communicate with her, meaning that the sense of isolation was easily ignored.

"Uncle trained us," Red noted, "Dad tried but…" She paused, as if trying to find the right words. "Weapons… fit better. Yang learned from him."

"I see…" She mentally noted on the fact that Red did not mention her mother, but she didn't have much to go on with that and set the matter aside. "So, you're a master with all weapons, then?"

"Given time and practice," Red said, "As with all weapons. Graceful with your weapon. A dancer?"

"It was one of the things I learned as the heir to the Schnee name," Weiss said, "Along with singing and a few other lessons."

"Would love to hear when not traveling through Grimm-infested forest…" Red paused, her calm face turning into one of sheer hatred. "Get behind me."

Weiss was not sure why she did as Red suddenly ordered, but she watched as Red converted Crescent Rose into a rifle and began firing at a colossal Nevermore with a snarl. The tension in the air was palpable as the giant bird flew towards them, angling to swipe at them. Weiss could feel the fear in her heart begin growing, as if Red's hate was strengthening the fear, and deep within the heiress, she felt something cold trying to climb out. The Nevermore, itself, somehow experience fear, as it immediately veered away from them before turning to once again try to strike. Glaring at the monster without either her mask or her hood up Red put Crescent Rose back in Ruby's holster, pulled out a rocket launcher, and fired at the creature.

When the smoke cleared, the Grimm continued to propel itself towards them. Red growled defiantly, reaching into her cape to pull out another weapon, only for Ruby to grab Weiss and leap into the air in a whirlwind of rose petals. When they landed, however, it was on the back of the beast they were trying to escape, which promptly began to soar through the air at high speeds.

"This was not my best plan," Ruby noted, before saying, "Will you behave if I let you out, Red?"

After a moment, Weiss once again felt the fear, albeit about as mild as it had been at the start.

"Mind telling me what that was about?" Weiss asked.

"Personal," Red said, "Will be professional. Wings regenerative, mask, undamaged, eyes, seemingly damaged lightly. Note for possible exploitation. Altitude, higher than trees, but not by much. Willing to trust?"

"What are you planning?" Weiss returned.

Red grinned and pulled out two small guns that looked to have a what looked like the tip of a harpoon out of the front, and a cartridge of Gravity Dust inside of each.

"I'm not sure if you're brilliant or insane," Weiss stated in a deadpan despite their current predicament.

Red simply grinned wider as she wrapped Weiss's arms around her back.

"Hold tight. Ruby will provide landing."

As Red readied her weapon, Weiss wasn't sure whether it being madness or genius made any difference.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yang and Blake approached what appeared to be the almost completely obliterated remains of some sort of tower, in which sat several pedestals.

"I have this strange feeling that this is the place…" Yang noted, getting a blank look from Blake, who promptly began to walk towards the pedestals. "Tough crowd."

"Chess pieces?" Blake mused as they walked through the 'relics.'

"Looks like there were some people who were already here," Yang noted, gesturing at a few blank pedestals.

"I guess we should take one…?" Blake responded.

* * *

As this was happening, Jaune and Pyrrha had stumbled across what appeared to be a man-made entrance to a cave, on which were stick figures depicting people with weapons fighting a giant scorpion.

"I think this is the place…" Jaune noted, "It looks like the place, right? Do you think this is the place?"

"We'll see," Pyrrha said, "It seems like the sort of place that one would hide something, at the very least."

Once Jaune had made a torch so that they could see, the pair began exploring.

"I really hope this is the right place…" Jaune murmured, "Otherwise, I made this for nothing."

"I don't think is the right place," Pyrrha concluded after some time of silent travel.

"I already made the torch and we've come this far," Jaune responded, "I really don't' want this to have all been for nothing."

He stumbled to the ground, causing the torch to fall into a puddle. As he picked himself off the ground, Pyrrha asked, "Do you feel that?"

"Shame, bitter regret, and the understanding that we are probably in the wrong place?" Jaune replied.

"It's getting warmer…"

"You're right… I think we should check it out."

* * *

"You brilliant maniac!" Weiss called out as they swung through the treetops on Red's retracting grappling lines, which she had connected to her belt and seemed to be manipulated by the slightest twitch, "I can't believe this worked!"

"Not perfect escape," Red replied, swinging Weiss into a bridal carry, "Being followed. Need to achieve greater distance…" She paused, clearly listening to Ruby. "Possibly. Will ask Weiss… Ruby has idea. Any Dust crystals on hand?"

"Most of what I have is pulverized Dust packages," Weiss replied, before patting one pocket. "I have one Lightning Dust crystal! I forgot that I had planned on pulverizing it before we got to the battlefield."

"Proficient with semi-automatic pistol with a moving target?"

"I don't think that a handgun will help with the Nevermore!" Weiss replied sarcastically.

"Proficient with semi-automatic pistol with a moving target?" Red repeated, "Small moving target?"

Weiss's eyes widened as she realized what Ruby had apparently suggested they do, "I can make a shot like that, at least."

"Reach into cloak," Red ordered, "Only one shot at this, but Ruby says should be effective."

Weiss did as she was told, her hand feeling wrong as she did so, only to pull out a handgun marked with a red cross on the chamber, with a small scope on it.

"Fire Dust rounds," Red explained, "Be precise."

"You and Ruby are insane," Weiss said, but she was beginning to feel that this was a good thing.

"Yes," Red said, smirking at Weiss before Ruby began to grin like a maniac, "We are. Get Myrtenaster ready, too. I'm going to need a running start so the blast doesn't knock us off balance. Red and I saw you practically fly in for your landing strategy. This'll be a piece of cake."

Weiss tossed the Lightning Dust into the air, readying the pistol for what could only be considered the greatest escape ever, if they succeeded.

* * *

Yang and Blake were examining the pieces, trying to determine just what they wanted to go with.

"How about a cute little pony?" Yang asked, picking up a white knight.

"Sure," Blake replied with a slight smile as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, that was easy," Yang smiled as they met in the center of the ruins.

"Well, it's not like this place is difficult to find," Blake replied.

* * *

"That's the relic!" Jaune cheered as he and Pyrrha stumbled across something golden and glowing at the end of the cave. "I hope…"

He reached out to grab it, only for it to pull back from his hand as Pyrrha tried to make out an odd shape in the dark. He tried again, and it pulled back once more. The final time he attempted, he caught it by jumping onto it.

"Um… Jaune…" Pyrrha began slowly

"I suspect that this was a bad idea on my part…" Jaune said slowly, before the glowing visage of a Death Stalker Grimm made itself known.

* * *

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Blake asked.

"Shoot," Yang answered cheerfully, tossing the piece up and down in her left hand as she made it flip through the air.

"Why are your right-hand sleeve and the glove thing beneath your right gauntlet slightly longer than the ones on your left?"

"I…" Yang began, only to be cut off as a high-pitched scream echoed from somewhere behind Yang.

"Some girl's in trouble!" Yang shouted, turning to the sound of the scream, "Blake, do you hear that?"

Blake, however, had her attention diverted by movement high above them, visible in the corner of her eye.

* * *

Pyrrha raced out of the cave, the Death Stalker slamming through the stone wall of the cave in hot pursuit as Jaune clung to the golden stinger.

"Pyrrha! I don't think this is the relic!" Jaune called out as the Death Stalker tried to swing him off of its tail, "A… Little… Help… Please!"

"Stay calm, Jaune!" Pyrrha called back, "Just hang…!"

The Death Stalker whipped its tail as far back as it could go before it flicked it forward, sending him over the treetops.

"…On," Pyrrha concluded slowly. Left face to face with the Death Stalker with no backup, Pyrrha immediately raced off to find her partner and possibly help.

* * *

Blake saw a flash of lightning engulf a shadow before a loud burst like thunder tore through the air. Then, surrounded by a stream of rose petals, Ruby was flying, carrying Weiss, who was forming black glyphs behind them, seemingly to give Ruby a speed boost as she propelled forward.

And then, in a slower blur, Jaune flew through the air in a perpendicular path and crashed into them, sending all three into a nearby tree.

"Hey, Ruby. Hey, Weiss," Jaune noted miserably, still trying to catch his breath and regain his bearings.

"Hey, Jaune…" Ruby replied.

"Did your sister just fall out of the sky?" Blake asked as she and Yang stared at the space she previously was occupying.

"I…" Yang replied, completely unsure of what to say.

And then, an Ursa burst through the trees, screaming in what sounded more like pain then rage, before it toppled over, with Nora sliding down its corpse.

"Aww, it broke…" she complained as Ren raced onto the scene.

"Nora…" he panted, "Please… don't ever do that again."

She had already vacated the spot he was looking at. Turning his gaze towards the ruins, he saw her with a white rook on her head.

"I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!" she sang, dancing around with the rook.

"Nora!" he called out to her.

"Coming, Ren!" she replied cheerfully.

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked.

"I…" Yang began, only to be cut off by the sound of trees being knocked over, while Pyrrha entered the scene, chased by the Death Stalker.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, still seeking out her partner, "Are you around here?!"

"This is going to hurt…" Jaune sighed as he began trying to swing himself down from the branch he was dangling upon.

"Godspeed," Ruby said, before gesturing for Weiss to get on her back.

Once the heiress was secured, Ruby used her semblance to get them to the ground, abandoning Weiss the moment they were on even ground.

It was as Jaune slammed into the ground that Ruby had a thought.

"We could have helped him down…"

"He'll be fine," Weiss waved off as Jaune slowly picked himself off the ground.

"Ruby!" Yang called out cheerfully, recognizing which sister was at the fore at the moment.

"Yang!" Ruby cheered. It was at that moment that the Death Stalker managed to catch up with Pyrrha and slammed her towards Jaune, knocking the pair towards the group.

"Great!" Yang said sarcastically, "Now we can all die together!"

As if on cue, the Nevermore finally arrived and unleased a volley of large, spear-like feathers, which they barely managed to dodge by returning to the ruins. This, however, got the attention of the Death Stalker, which began to move closer, ready to lunge for them.

"Weiss, I've got an idea," Ruby said, "How much Ice Dust do you have in Myrtenaster right this second?"

"It's almost completely full," she replied, before pausing. "Why do I get the feeling that you're about to have me involved in something completely insane."

Ruby simply grinned.

"If we die, it's your fault," she noted dryly.

At that, Ruby charged towards the Death Stalker throwing one of Red's grappling guns at the Death Stalker, before shooting the thing with a single Fire Dust round from Crescent Rose, activating the Gravity Dust, knocking the behemoth back slightly before it lunged with its tail.

In the blink of an eye, Weiss had stepped forward while Ruby stepped back, freezing the tail into place.

"Guys…" Jaune said slowly, "I don't mean to bring the mood down, but the other one's coming back…"

"There's no sense in dillydallying," Weiss stated plainly, "Our objective is right in front of us."

"She's right," Ruby said, "Our job is to get the artifact and get to the top of the cliffs. Anything else is unimportant."

"Run and live," Jaune noted, "Sounds good to me!"

Jaune grabbed the other white rook and Ruby grabbed the second white knight as the Death Stalker began to break its tail free.

"Time we left," Ren said quickly.

"Right," Ruby agreed, gesturing for the group to follow her, "Let's go."

Yang watched with a smile on her face as Ruby took the lead, pausing to stand on a rock to make certain that every member was on the move before she continued to lead them onward.

"What?" Blake asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Yang replied with a proud grin on her face before heading off with the group.

They raced towards the cliffs, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Death Stalker as possible.

And then, the Nevermore landed upon a tower in the center of the ruins below the cliff, screeching in defiance of the group.

"Well, that's just great," Yang growled, just when the Death Stalker raced onto the scene.

As they moved to evade it, the Nevermore lifted its wings, clearly intent on unleashing more of its deadly feathers.

"Nora, distract it!" Ren called out, prompting the cheerful girl to race forward, dodging the oncoming flechette before firing a volley of rockets at the beast, knocking it back before it retreated. The victory was short-lived, however, as the Death Stalker lunged for her.

Its attacks were parried by Blake and Ren, who blocked the attacks with their weapons, before leaping out of the way while Weiss grabbed Nora and propelled them both away with a glyph.

As the Death Stalker continued to give chase, Pyrrha converted her spear into a rifle, shooting at the giant scorpion to cover the group as she shouted, "Go! Go!"

They raced across the bridge, but the Nevermore raced across, slamming into the bridge and dividing the group.

Looking behind them to see Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren fighting the Death Stalker, Jaune cried out, "We've got to help them!"

"Let's go!" Nora said, gesturing at the other side of the gap.

"We've got one problem with that," Jaune said, "I can't make that jump."

Nora grinned before knocking him back with her weapon, before she converted it into a hammer and leapt into the air.

"This is going to hurt…" Jaune stated plainly before letting out a terrified scream as she launched him across the gap. Once he was safely across, she launched herself by riding her hammer's recoil before slamming the weapon into the creature's face.

As it lunged for her, she leaped back, unintentionally slamming into Blake, who used her weapon to swing to strike the Nevermore, which had begun attacking the area where Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were attempting to fight it off. Several rounds and slashes of her blades did nothing before she leapt off the beast and landed by the group.

"It's tougher than it looks!" Blake announced.

"Then let's hit it with everything we've got!" Yang said, before nodding to Ruby. Weiss watched the exchange as Ruby let Red take over. The look on Red's face was not a smile. It could be said to resemble a smile in that the corners of her lips were turned up, but to call that expression a smile would be to call someone ramming a sword through another person's chest a touch.

With that feral expression, Red pulled her mask down before reaching into the cloak and pulling out what could only be described as five miniguns connected to a single box, which were seated upon a tripod As the Nevermore circled back, they all opened fire.

Despite their best efforts, however, the colossal bird was evading everything they threw at it, before it slammed into the structure upon which they were standing, forcing them to regroup as Red's weapon plummeted to the chasm beneath them.

Red, for her part, pulled out Crescent Rose and converted her to scythe form while Ruby pulled up her hood and the mask seemed to vanish. With that done, Ruby propelled herself up with a practiced ease, using the recoil of the scythe to her advantage as she moved.

"I don't suppose Red has another ridiculous weapon you could pull out at the moment," Weiss asked dryly as Ruby scanned the battlefield, eyeing Yang shooting at the beast from her vantage point while Blake retracted the ribbon of Gambol Shroud upon getting to solid ground, "Nothing we've currently got seems to be working."

"I've got a few plans, but most of them involve something I need to check, first, and Red isn't fast enough for the job," Ruby said plainly, "Cover me!"

* * *

As that was happening, the Death Stalker destabilized the section of the bridge Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren were standing upon.

"I might be panicking, but I think we've gotta run," Jaune said as they rushed towards the Death Stalker. As it lunged for them, Pyrrha performed a glide with her shield, before lunging with Milo in its xiphos form as she knocked it back. As it lunged for her with the other claw, Jaune stepped in front of it, blocking the beast with his shield before dropping down slightly for Pyrrha to strike at that claw while he began to block the other with his shield.

Ren promptly raced towards the Death Stalker, shooting with his submachine guns before it lunged with its tail. Moving quickly, he grabbed the barb and began shooting at the deadly appendage point-blank as Nora distracted it with rockets before Pyrrha gored its eye with Milo's spear form., until it tossed him behind it, the barb loosened by the attack.

"Ren!" Nora called out in worry.

Jaune glanced at the loosely hanging piece and said, "Pyrrha!"

"On it!" Pyrrha shouted, clearly recognizing what he was getting at as she threw her shield, slicing off the barb as she crashed into the mask of the Death Stalker.

"Nora, nail it!" he shouted.

"Heads up!" Nora grinned at Pyrrha, who got into a crouch and placed her shield above her head while Nora came in upon her, sitting on her hammer with a grin as she launched herself into the air while Pyrrha leapt as high as she could to add to the force of it. When Magnihilde and Nora got to the top of the hammer's arc, she fired a round, swinging the hammer around before slamming it into the Death Stalker while the others raced past it. As it began to fall off the ledge it had been perched upon, she fired one more rocket, launching her into the air while the barb went deeper into the beast.

When the group had regained their bearings, they watched in fascination as Yang fired upon the Nevermore, drawing it to her. When it snapped at her, she leapt into its mouth, pinning it open with her right hand as she began firing down its throat with her left hand furiously as she shouted, "I! Hope! You're Hungry!"

As it neared the cliff's edge, she stopped firing and withdrew a Fire Dust grenade that Red had presented them at Ruby's behest, pulling the pin and leaping out of its jaws while tossing the grenade down its throat with her right hand moving almost too fast to see as she leapt down. The grenade's recoil further disoriented the creature causing it to spin before it slammed into the mountain, one of its eyes.

Once she landed, she backed away, allowing Weiss to race forward, leaping to the Nevermore as it tried to regain its bearings while Blake tossed Yang one side of Gambol Shroud while spearing the side of one pillar with it. As Weiss froze the Nevermore's tail in place, Yang plunged the other side into the adjacent pillar. Weiss promptly performed a textbook perfect flip, forming a glyph for her to spring off of as she rejoined the group.

Ruby, meanwhile, leaped towards the extended ribbon and fired her scythe to get the momentum to pull it back as far as possible, just in time for Weiss to hold it in place, adjusting the ribbon with a black glyph.

"Why can't I be surprised by any plan you made at this point?" Weiss asked, "We haven't even known each other for that long."

"If it makes you feel better," Ruby said, "This is the sanest plan I had, comparatively. Can you make the shot?"

"Can I make the shot?" Weiss scoffed.

Ruby turned towards her with a blank expression.

"Of course, I can make the shot!" Weiss said as Ruby cocked Crescent Rose. With that, she released the glyph just as Ruby fired a single shot, sending her soaring through the air towards the Nevermore, rose petals flying behind her as she neared the beast, until she caught its neck in the blade of her scythe, her legs pressing against the stone. Once Weiss cast glyphs along the cliffside, she began to run, firing round after round to boost her momentum until she was over the cliff, and with one final shot, she sliced the head off of the Nevermore.

Were anyone near her, they would have felt the sense of dread that Red brought about as Ruby let her come to the fore, putting away Crescent Rose. Once she was at the fore, rather than pull up the hood and down her mask, Red reached into her cloak and pulled out another weapon before aiming it towards her three companions and firing Once the first hook was in place on one of the pillars, she fired the other into the ground before her, giving them a surface to run up from before returning the weapon to the cloak and giving Ruby back control of their body.

"Well, that was a thing," Yang said, "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark," Ozpin said at the opening ceremony, "You all retrieved the black bishop. From now on, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester."

Once they had all stepped off, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren all approached the stage.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie," he continued, "You all retrieved the white bishop. From now on, you shall work together as Team JNPR…" Nora leapt at Ren, wrapping her arms around him as Ozpin continued. "Led by Jaune Arc."

"Oh, no…" Jaune murmured.

"You'll do great, young man," Ozpin assured him, as Pyrrha gave him a friendly jab on the shoulder that knocked him to the ground, much to the crowd's amusement.

"Sorry," she whispered as she helped him back up, "I didn't realize you had shifted your weight like that."

"And finally," Ozpin concluded, "Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. You four retrieved the white knight. From this day forth, you shall work together as Team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose."

Weiss blinked in surprise at that, but Yang rushed at Ruby and cheered, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year…" Ozpin murmured as the broken moon shined high over Remnant.

* * *

As the broken moon shined high over Remnant, Roman Torchwick was staring at a map while communicating with someone through a small radio.

"Look, I'm working as fast as I can, but I can't accomplish much with even these bozos. I'm going to need my second set of hands back for this. And more men."

"Find more men," the voice on the other side said flatly, "Need I remind you that you're on a timetable, Torchwick. Your little partner finished her job. She'll be back soon enough. Until then, make do."

The radio went silent, save for static as a figure in a White Fang mask came in with a cart full of cases of Dust crystals.

"Start looking for more men," he ordered as he handed him the lien he promised for the job, "This is going to be messy."


	5. Chapter 5

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 5

Making Room for Everyone and The Necessity of Training

I don't own Ruby. Well, it's here. The beginning of the chaos that vaguely follows canon inasmuch as it is occurring in a series of events that are somewhat following the timeline. Due to Weiss and Ruby's much more easily formed friendship and Red's presence and some important changes to parts of some parts of the backstories, the chapter will not go down the way the related episodes went.

The morning after team assignments, Ruby and Yang were having a conversation while the other half of Team RWBY were still asleep.

"We really should get to talking about it at some point," Yang noted, flexing her right wrist and elbow while clenching and unclenching her fist.

"True," Ruby replied, "But on the other hand, you can only tell them once."

"You're absolutely right," Yang agreed with an evil smirk, "We're going to have to have fun with this…"

"Have fun with what?" Blake asked, having clearly barely started waking up, yet her bow already on her head.

"Decorating," Ruby replied.

"If you go change, we can even play a slight prank on Weiss…" Yang suggested as she handed Ruby a whistle.

"Oh, I am absolutely in," Blake said, figuring out the prank immediately before heading off to change.

"It's a funny little world, isn't it?" Yang asked once Blake was out of the room, "She's about to help us with a prank and doesn't even realize that we're setting her up for one."

"Fond already?" Red inquired with a smirk.

"Well, she was easy to get along with in the forest," Yang replied easily.

"Fair enough," she said, returning control to Ruby. Once Blake was back in the room, Ruby got closer to Weiss and raised the whistle to her lips before pausing, lowering it from her mouth.

"We set up for this," she muttered to Red as Blake's bow twitched slightly, as if it were a pair of ears listening in confusion, "I don't care if you think she looks peaceful like that. We're doing it."

With that, she raised the whistle to her lips and blew, causing Weiss to wake in a panic as she became aware of the waking world.

"Why would you do that?" she demanded.

"Because we, Team RWBY, have an important mission, Weiss!" Ruby said, "Team RWBY, it is time for Operation Decoration!"

"This is just us decorating the place, isn't it?" she asked dryly.

"Yep," she agreed.

"It'll be nice to add some homey touches to the place," Yang offered, gesturing at the plain, bare walls.

"The room does seem a bit… impersonal," Blake chimed in.

"Fair enough," Weiss sighed, before quickly going off to change.

"Then let's get to work!" Ruby commanded enthusiastically. Once they had the room set up, however, a problem became apparent.

"There isn't much space for the beds…" Weiss noted dryly.

"Bunk beds?" Ruby asked Yang.

"Bunk beds!" Yang agreed enthusiastically.

"It would save space…" Blake chimed in.

"But we'd need supplies for…" Weis began to protest, before trailing off and glancing at Ruby.

"She can give us some," Ruby agreed, pulling up her hood.

"Who could…?" Blake began, only to be cut off by a sense of dread. She felt as if she were surrounded on all sides by enemies, her secret revealed while the White Fang fell further and further into darkness. She had felt something like it before, but she had ruled it out the first time as nothing, and the second time as a result of the Grimm, but now there was only one possible source. Slowly, she turned to see Ruby, yet simultaneously not Ruby, wearing a mask styled after a Beowolf as she reached into her cloak and pulled out tools and wood.

"Thank you, Red. I actually wasn't sure if you'd be able to take out these," Weiss stated approvingly while Blake wondered why she and Yang didn't seem that off-put.

"Can make any tools as necessary," the hooded girl that wasn't Ruby yet was replied in a slightly deeper voice than Ruby's, "Shall we?"

Blake filed this issue away for later before joining in on the construction. Once the beds were converted into bunk beds, however, things began to get further out of hand.

"We did it!" Yang said as Ruby removed the mask and the feeling of dread that had been haunting Blake vanished, "High Five!"

She raised her hand and Ruby leapt up to give her the high five, only for Yang's right arm to suddenly fall off, much to Blake and Weiss's shock.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked, as if she weren't missing everything just below her bicep.

"I think they're freaking out about that," Ruby said, gesturing at the arm that was currently partly under Yang's bed.

"My arm!" Yang shouted dramatically, "Oh my gods, my arm is completely gone! What are we gonna do?! What are we going to do?!"

Weiss and Blake then shared a bewildered expression as Yang carried on like that, before nodding in realization.

Shaking her head, Weiss said, "Nice prosthetic. I'm going to say… Professor Carlo Polendina's work."

"How did you…?" Yang began.

"I keep apprised on all technological advancements in Atlas," Weiss stated primly, "Professor Polendina is the leading expert in robotics, prosthetics, and practically any field that deals with electricity or Dust. Yours, however, looks pretty high-end. I don't think that particular model's even on the market, yet…"

"Dad and Professor P go back a few years," Yang said, reattaching her arm, "They've apparently been friends since Dad's team saved his life. They hit it off and kept contact, so he sends the newer models to us. Technically, I'm the reason that most prosthetics these days have such realistic synthetic skin."

"I think we might have had enough surprises for the morning," Blake noted.

"Alright, then, Team RWBY!" Ruby said, "Our first class is at nine o'clock!"

"Nine o'clock?!" Weiss asked worriedly, "It's eight-fifty-five!"

They were out the door immediately, followed by Team JNPR and a few other first-year teams, all observed by Ozpin and Glynda, the latter of whom had a bemused expression.

"Would this have to do with the pile of clocks in the corner of your office?" Glynda asked.

The self-satisfied expression on Ozpin's face as he sipped his coffee answered the question more easily than words would have.

"Why am I the only person who's cursed with seeing your sadistic side?" she asked tiredly.

Ozpin did not respond to that. Instead, he said, "I didn't expect Miss Nikos to be able to physically carry her entire team at once while running like that…"

* * *

"It would seem everyone in the first-year classes is late today!" a booming, deep voice announced as everyone rushed to enter the classroom, "Every good Huntsman and Huntress knows that you must always be ready for everything and wake up bright and early! This reminds me of this one time I woke up with an Ursa in my pajamas! Naturally, with my catlike reflexes, I was able to best the creature, but I will never know how it got into my pajamas in the first place! Take your seats and get ready for your lesson! I am Professor Port, one of the greatest Huntsmen of all time!"

"Peter Port?" Red asked, while everyone subtly edged away from her as she came to the fore, "The Beowolf Trapper?"

"Why yes!" he said, "I did not know that I had a fan in this class! Nonetheless, that is a topic for later! To your seats!"

As they made their way to their seats, Weiss turned to Red and asked, "Not that I'm upset that you're here, but why are you in the front, right now?"

"Better note-taker," she replied simply, "Better for later reviews."

"Fair enough," Weiss replied reasonably. The fact that it gave Team RWBY more room to sit was an added benefit, though Blake seemed slightly less comfortable than Weiss, herself.

"Well, then!" Port said once they were all seated, "The Creatures of Grimm! There are many names for them! Demons, monsters, prowlers in the night! I, however, merely refer to them as 'prey!'" He paused, laughing heartily as Red began furiously writing down what he was saying "And through your education within these walls, you shall come to refer to them as the same! Now, Vale and the other three Kingdoms, Mistral…" He nodded at Pyrrha, "Atlas…" A nod to Weiss, "And Vacuo are all safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world full of these beasts that would happily devour anyone at a moment's notice! Huntsmen! And Huntresses! Individuals who fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what you ask?! The very world! That is what you are training to become! But first, the tale of handsome young man: Me! When I was a boy…"

As he began to tell his tale, Weiss observed her surroundings. Red was writing down every word meticulously, from what she could see, enraptured by the tales that the old Huntsman was telling. Yang and Blake seemed to be both listening and conversing amongst themselves, while Team JNPR, seated across the aisle, were each doing their own thing. Jaune muttering something to himself from his seat next to Pyrrha, who seemed to be observing everyone with that strange, weighing stare of hers while taking notes, as Ren and Nora seemed to be more interested in the diagrams of Grimm on the board.

"Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man!" she heard Port say. Beside her, Red seemed to be almost vibrating in her seat as she continued to take notes.

It was somewhat interesting to Weiss to see the differences between the two of them. While both Ruby and Red seemed to like the idea of people, Ruby seemed more interested in weapons than people, to the point that she seemed to deconstruct and piece together every weapon she saw with her eyes, while Red focused more upon the individual wielding the weapons. Idly, Weiss wondered if Ruby knew about Port's weapon more than she did about the man, himself.

"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity, my head held high, celebrated as a hero! The moral of this story?! A true Huntsman must be honorable! A true Huntsman must be dependable! A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise! So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?!"

"I do, sir," Weiss announced, certain that she could prove herself.

"Well, then, step forth and face your opponent!" he said, gesturing to a rattling cage, from which the only light to exit was a pair of red eyes.

As Weiss prepared herself for the battle, her teammates offered their encouragement.

"Go Weiss!" Yang shouted.

"Fight well!" Blake chimed in.

"Win this for Team RWBY!" Ruby called out before allowing Red to take over once again.

"Kill it," Red said.

"Alright, then!" Port announced, "Let the match begin!" With that, he brought the blade of his ax/musket hybrid down upon the lock, causing the front of the cage to collapse as a Boarbatusk raced towards Weiss, who quickly spun out of its way, attempting to strike its flank.

As it raced towards her again, she once again raised her weapon, aiming for an eye as it approached. The attack met the beast, but it shifted before the blade could connect with the eye, causing it to glance off of the mask, catching along the tusks. She found herself promptly disarmed, her weapon flying to the other side of the small battlefield.

As Weiss rolled out of the Grimm's path, Red clenched one of her fists at the sight, enraged that the beast had the gall to do that, causing everyone in the room to feel the fear they had been feeling increasing slightly, while Ruby tried to sooth her by saying that Weiss would be able to get it through striking the underbelly. Weiss, for her part, made her way to her weapon, the cold deep within her that had tried to climb out in the Emerald Forest once more making itself felt. This time, she followed her instincts, and a clawed gauntlet made of ice swatted the Boarbatusk as it spun towards Weiss in midair, causing it to land on its back too slowly to recover as Weiss leapt into the air, using a glyph as a springboard to launch herself at the vulnerable Grimm, piercing its weak spot and ending the beast.

"Well done!" Port said cheerfully as Yang, Blake, and the once-more-at-the-fore Ruby cheered at her victory, "It seems we are, indeed, in the presence of a true Huntress in training! I'm afraid that's all we have time for today! Be sure to cover the assigned readings, as there will be a discussion on the topics tomorrow, and stay vigilant! There is always the threat of danger out there! Class dismissed!"

As she made her way to her seat to gather her things, Weiss thought she heard Jaune talking to Pyrrha about some sort of offer of weapons training, but she determined that it was not her place to ask about it. Instead, a bit after Yang and Blake made their way out of the classroom together, Weiss turned to Ruby as they exited the classroom and said, "I'm not sure on how to do this in a particular polite way, so I'm sorry if I offend you, but can I speak with Red?"

Ruby blinked in surprise at that, before saying, "Sure… Here?"

"Maybe somewhere a bit more secluded," Weiss replied. Once they had gotten a bit deeper into the hallway of the labyrinthine Academy, she asked, "So, you saw that gauntlet I made, right?"

"Impressive display," Red nodded.

"That was my first time successfully summoning anything," she said, "I've tried to do it time and again under my sister's tutelage, but I constantly failed."

"How?" Red asked plainly.

"I think it had something to do with you focusing your fear thing," she said, "It just… triggered something in me. I felt it when we faced off against the Nevermore, but I hadn't thought to access it until now. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to ask for your help with training myself with it. Your Semblance is similar to the summoning that my family can do, with your ability to pull anything you think of out of your cloak, and I will not be able to contact my sister for some time."

"Seems agreeable," Red replied, "But first, Ruby will need to read assigned readings."

"Naturally," Weiss agreed, "We can discuss times later, if you don't mind. Aside from classwork, I have some personal business to take care of. Thank you."

"Welcome," Red replied before Ruby said, "If you need to talk to me or Red at any time, you just need to ask. We're partners, and partners look out for each other, and as your team leader, I will be looking out for everyone."

"You keep that in mind, too," Weiss said, "If you need any help with anything, just let me know. I'm going to be the best teammate you'll ever have."

With that, she withdrew a scroll and opening what looked to be the stock market as she walked off, leaving Ruby by herself with Red. As the red-caped girl turned, however, she jumped slightly in shock at the sight of Professor Ozpin.

"You seem to be getting along well with your teammates," he noted, "I'm glad to see that you're putting in an effort. You and Red have a heavy burden, and while you both have one another to lean on, you need to remember that you still are just one physical person. Know your limits, and trust your team. Be the leaders they need and lead by example, and the rest should be easy."

With that he walked away, once again leaving the two girls in one body to their own devices.

* * *

That evening, under the light of a less shattered side of the moon, Roman Torchwick continued to make plans, only for there to be a familiar pattern knocked on his door. Grabbing his cane in case it turned out that someone had sold him out or was otherwise going to inconvenience him, he made his way to the door. Slowly, he knocked a pattern of his own and waited for the reply. When it came almost immediately after, he slowly opened the door, ready to shoot if necessary, only to see a familiar face.

"Well, it's about time you got here," he said, stepping aside to let them in, "It just wasn't the same around here without you, Neo."

As the pink and brown haired young woman curtsied with a psychotic smile, he said, "We've got a lot of work to do, and a smaller timetable for doing it than we thought. I got a new guy named Perry helping out, but he's not the sort of guy that picks up on what I'm doing quickly enough. I need you to take charge of some of the jobs. She's really cutting it closer than she'd said."

Neo tilted her head at that before rapidly signing a response.

"Yes, I know you said that, but she didn't really give us a way to say 'no,' now did she?" he replied flatly, "With any luck, after this job's finished, we won't ever have to see her again. At any rate, have I got a weird story for you. When you were still out, I hired some muscle from Junior's, a stupid idea, I know, but I didn't have any guys at the time, so I had to make do, but there was this one kid with a red hood, and it was the creepiest thing ever. She seemed like this overzealous kid who'd been read too many fairy tales, growing up, then she just suddenly was wrong… And to make things even creepier, she had a mask like that Branwen woman."

Neo's eyes widened before she signed a simple response, "Tell me everything."


	6. Chapter 6

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 6

Making New Friends and An Examination on the Ramifications of People's Actions

I don't own Ruby. I am going to be straight with all of you. I did not enjoy the "Jaune gets bullied" story arc, because it dragged and did not engage me as a viewer. As a result, chaos. A bit late, but closer than the last time it was late. Hope you all enjoy.

Blake was not sure what to make of the situation when she entered the cafeteria a bit later than the rest of her team with her book under her arm, just in time to see Ruby delicately holding a knife to the soft tissue under Cardin Winchester's chin with one hand while the other was pressing the tip of a knife into his armor as if it were butter while Weiss stood behind her to the right, tensed as if waiting for a fight. The fact that Ruby's eyes were glinting while her mask was not on her face did not make things more comprehensible, but what she heard her say in the deeper tone that she occasionally used did.

"Bother another, and Cardinal becomes Riddle," she said coldly while he shivered, his team all frozen with fear, "Not good for a future Huntsman to lose face or heart. Finish meal silently, then leave."

She began to walk off before saying in that same cool tone, "Never unarmed, by the way."

Ruby calmly made her way out the door, followed by Weiss. After a moment of thought, Blake headed to the table and took a seat beside Yang.

"What just happened?" she asked.

"Cardin was bothering that girl Velvet," Yang said, "You know, the one from Team CVFY? He was pulling her ears and Red decided to have a heart to heart with him about bullying and racism. Weiss went in to try to calm her down, but she wound up thinking on it and decided to join. I was about to get up when… well, you saw what happened."

After a moment of thought, Blake asked the question that had been plaguing her ever since she looked at Ruby's bed the other night and saw silver glinting in the moonlight.

"Yang, is Ruby a Faunus?" she asked.

"Not unless our mom was hiding some secrets from us," Yang replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," she said, "Her eyes seem to glow in the dark at times. I've known some Faunus that had tapetum lucidum for their recognizable trait. Faunus have great night vision, but some have even better vision than others because of that particular trait."

"Oh," Yang said, "That's because you haven't seen Ruby's eyes when they're in shadows."

"Then what am I seeing?" Blake pressed.

"Red's eyes."

"I… don't follow," Blake admitted.

"You're lucky you're cute," Yang said with a smirk, before pressing on, "You noticed that Ruby and Red are two different people, right?"

"That's what I've been led to understand," Blake agreed, not sure what Yang was getting at, "But you keep referring to Ruby by both names."

"No, I'm not," Yang said, "They're two different people."

"But all that seems to happen is that Ruby changes her cadence and pitch when she wants to intimidate people."

Yang stared at her blankly before glancing at the book she'd set down upon the table. "Blake, what's the name of your book?"

"The Man With Two Souls," she responded, "Why?"

"Would you say that the two souls were two different people?" she pressed.

"Yes," Blake said, "One was the soul of a dark, cynical adventurer, while the other was a bright, optimistic scientist."

"Now, thinking on that, compare what you know of my sisters to the characters in the book," Yang said slowly.

After a moment, Blake's eyes widened comically, "Ruby has two souls?"

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," Yang said, "Got you seeing double, yet?"

"Wait," Jaune said, "You didn't know that Ruby and Red were two different people? You're their roommate!"

"Even I was aware that they were two different people, and I haven't been officially introduced to Red, yet," Pyrrha noted.

"So, where did she and Weiss go," Blake said, trying to change the subject.

"Probably to talk to Velvet," Yang said, "Knowing Red, that's exactly what she'd do."

* * *

"Why?" Red asked simply once they caught up to Velvet.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked.

"Why not fight?" Red pressed.

"What my tactless friend is trying to ask is 'Why didn't you defend yourself?'" Weiss supplied, receiving a nod from Red to indicate she'd interpreted it correctly, "You're one of the top students, and they're first-years. Why did you let them treat you with such disrespect?"

"With the White Fang getting more and more violent, Faunus have to be much more careful about picking our battles," Velvet replied tiredly, "We don't get much slack when someone's being an arse and we want to push back these days. Things have been getting difficult, especially after that train attack and the protest that turned into a riot."

"If you ever want to talk about it, we're here for you," Weiss offered, "The way they were treating you isn't right, and you know it."

"A question," Red said, ignoring the way that Velvet seemed slightly uncomfortable with her eyes locked onto her, "Weapon copies weapons to mimic?"

Velvet let the question roll in her mind for a brief moment before replying, "That is how it works. Why do you ask?"

"Can copy any weapon?" Red asked.

"I believe so…"

"What about this?" Red asked, pulling out a sketchbook with her and Ruby's names written on the cover, turning to a page that showed the schematics of her quintuple minigun box on its tripod, before flipping to a page that had the grapnel guns that attached to her belt.

"Well, if you make them, I could try to photograph the prototypes, but there's not much else I can do. I'm not entirely sure if they're feasible weapons designs…" Velvet said, her eyes locked onto the schematics with a bright intensity.

"She actually has both of those already made," Weiss said, "She and Ruby are brilliant with weapons design. They could each possibly give Professor Allison Sapphira a run for her money for the most inventive designs."

"And you'd let me use them?" Velvet asked enthusiastically, her earlier unhappiness somewhat smothered at the idea.

"Freely," Red replied, "Would be spectacle worth beholding."

"Would you like to give it a try tomorrow?" Velvet asked, to which both Red and Weiss nodded, "This is going to be great!"

"Well, look at you two, making friends," Ruby said cheerfully as she came to the fore once again, "I'm proud of you both!"

"Ah, you must be the other one," Velvet surmised, losing the tension in her shoulders, "You're Ruby, I take it?"

"Yep!" Ruby replied cheerily, "I'd show you my sweetheart, but you know how they are around here, and I'm not going to share my sweetheart's schematics."

"Believe me, I understand that," Velvet commiserated, "I know that I wouldn't want anyone poking around in my baby girl's bits."

"I'd recommend not trying to talk about her like that to Red," Ruby noted, "She doesn't get attached like that."

"Fair enough. Coco's the same as her when it comes to weapons, if we're being honest. I swear, I'd take her weapon and clean it, myself, if she weren't so meticulous about literally everything," Velvet replied with a fond smile as she delivered that last statement.

"You've got Oobleck's class with us, don't you?" Weiss asked as she glanced at her scroll for the time.

"That's actually something I wanted to ask you about," Ruby said, "Why do you have First Year History?"

"Words to live by, straight from me to you," Velvet offered up in lieu of a direct response, "'Get the core stuff done in first year.' Even on a recommendation, you shouldn't try to swap for extracurriculars unless you're willing to pay the price of sitting out with the kiddies, believe you me."

"Do you want to sit with us?" Weiss offered.

"That sounds nice," Velvet said, before pausing as she turned towards Ruby and asked, "Which one of you's going to be in front, Ruby?"

"That would be Red," Ruby answered, "She's better at taking notes than me, so she's usually the one in the driver's seat when we're in class."

"Well, that sounds good to me. She gets you lot some elbow room when she writes, so there's that to look forward too," Velvet said cheerfully, "Come along, then, girls. Let's pick up the rest of your team and get going."

* * *

Once Team RWBY and Team JNPR had gotten to the classroom, Red having taken over along the way, as could be told by the vague discomfort that some had on their faces, the classroom had vacated the area where they were going to sit. Red pointedly stared at Cardin, her eyes shining under her pulled-up hood as she gave a joyless smile that made him lower himself deeper into his seat and stare straight ahead.

"Welcome back to class, everyone," Professor Bartholomew Oobleck said quickly, taking a sip of his coffee before zooming to the board, "Now, yesterday, we had been discussing the history of the four Hunter Academies: Beacon, Haven, Atlas Academy, and Shade, and I assigned a chapter to be read for today's lecture. Can anyone tell me what we were going to discuss today?" He glanced around for a raised hand before his eyes stopped on Blake, "Ah, Ms. Belladonna! What say you?"

"The Faunus Rights Revolution," Blake answered.

"Yes, yes!" Oobleck cheered, before immediately beginning the lecture, "Prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie, an act that the Faunus did not agree with for obvious reasons." He sipped his coffee and then zipped around his desk as he continued, "This did nothing to quell the rising discontentedness of the marginalized Faunus. As a result of these actions, the Faunus Rights Revolution began. Now, many of you may feel that this is ancient history, but that is simply not the case! These events happened relatively recently, and the repercussions of this revolution can still be seen to this day! Has anyone here ever been discriminated against or subjugated for your Faunus heritage?"

On the other side of the classroom, a boy with what appeared to be some manner of lizard's tail raised his hand, prompting Velvet to slowly raise her hand. Seated between her and Red, Weiss patted the second-year on the back gently.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful!" Oobleck said, "Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance and prejudice that breeds violence! I mean, I mean, I mean, just look what happened to the White Fang…!" He paused, as if in thought, before immediately asking, "Now, which one of you young scholars tell me what many historical theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?"

Red was not surprised to see Weiss raise her hand and instead continued taking her notes.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?" Oobleck prompted, "What is the answer?"

"The Battle of Fort Castle," Weiss answered primly.

"Yes! Good work!" he agreed, before once more taking a sip of his coffee and zooming around the board once again, "And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus, who were, you should recall if you read the chapter as I instructed, led by a Faunus known only as General Silver, had over General Lagune's forces?"

Sitting beside Jaune, who was flipping through his book to try to find the answer, Pyrrha slid her book between them to the relevant page before raising her hand. Once she was called on, she said, "The Faunus were aided by night vision, sir. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark."

"General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep," Blake chimed in, "His massive army was outmatched, and the general, himself, was taken captive."

"Excellent work, Ms. Nikos! You as well, Ms. Belladonna!" he praised.

"'When he tried to retreat,'" Jaune murmured as he read the text aloud to himself, "'General Lagune misjudged the size of the hill that he tried to have his men take cover behind, resulting in catastrophic losses.'"

"Well done, Mr. Arc," Oobleck said, taking him by surprise, "Contributing to class at last! Yes, General Lagune made multiple mistake, with the ill-advised retreat strategy being only part of the problem. Underestimating his opponent, however, was the greatest of Lagune's mistakes in this particular battle! Now! Moving on, this battle was followed immediately by what battle?"

* * *

When class had ended, Red watched as Team JNPR headed out as a group before allowing Ruby to take over once again.

"So, what class do you have next, Velvet?" Ruby asked.

"Applied Dust Theory," she replied as she and Team RWBY began to head out of the classroom, "You should take it next year. You get to look at weapons and how they react with different types of Dust. Professor Peach teaches it, and she lets students experiment with different weapons and Dust crystals. Well, as long as she can tell that it's definitely not going to blow up in anyone's face unintentionally."

"And she returns!" a confident voice said as they exited, causing the entire group to turn, revealing the rest of Team CVFY approaching them, Smiling as she wrapped an arm over Velvet's shoulder Coco asked, "Did you play nice with the kids? And did they play nice with you?" At that second question, she lowered her sunglasses slightly to look over Team RWBY.

"They're good kids, Coco," Velvet said with a slight smile, "They're even going to let me use Hopscotch on the nifty little weapons Ruby and Red designed together."

"You built a masterpiece and have to take a different lunch from the rest of us, and now I've been replaced," Coco said overdramatically as she raised her sunglasses, "I should have known that someday you would replace me with a younger model."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," the tallest of the older team, Yatsuhashi noted dryly, "I'm glad to see you're making new friends, Velvet."

"We were worried you'd get bored on your own," Fox said tilting his head slightly to the left.

"Well, we've definitely got to hang out with you kids, sometime," Coco said, smiling at Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang in turn, "Any friend of Velvet's is a friend of ours. We'd love to stay and chat, but we've got Applied Dust Theory, and trust me, you don't want to know what Peach is like when she's mad."

"See you lot later," Velvet said cheerfully before she and her team made their way towards Peach's classroom.

"Well, they were awesome," Yang said, "So, you two volunteered to help her with something called 'Hopscotch?'"

"That's her camera," Ruby replied as Weiss opened her scroll and examined the stocks, as well as seeming to type out a few notes and numbers, "The one Red and I saw her testing out a last week. Red and I wanted to see if she could use her on the weapons Red and I designed."

"Nice…" Yang said, "Try not to overwhelm her with your obsessions, though."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Weiss said, "Velvet's a lot like Ruby when it comes to this stuff, from what I could tell. She even called her weapon her baby girl. Still, she's pretty nice. I think you guys will get along with her, too, once we get to hang out with her."

"Sounds good to me," Yang said, "So, mind telling us what you and Red have been up to all secretively?"

"What?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"You two go off at night on your own," Yang clarified, "So, what are your intentions towards my youngest sister?"

"We're just training," Weiss said, "I'm trying to get better at summoning. Since Red can summon whatever weapon she wants, we've been working out how to get me to summon things."

"How's that working out?" Blake asked in curiosity.

"We're getting there," Weiss said, "I've got two arms and a head, right now, but I think I'm on the verge of getting at least the torso."

"Nice!" Yang said, "I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the results."

"If she gets it done, it'll be a game-changer!" Ruby noted cheerfully, "Another weapon in the arsenal of Team RWBY. Once she's got that, we'll be able to combine it with some of our team combos!"

* * *

Elsewhere, a scruffy man in a tattered red cape was helping a brown-haired young woman with what looked like burn marks on her face limp into a small village as she unsteadily used a staff to keep herself standing.

"Come on, kid," the man said, "Stay with me. You're gonna be fine."

"Pretty sure you're wrong," she replied with a pained chuckle, "So, what's the game plan?"

"I have no idea," he answered honestly, shifting her so that more of her weight was resting on his shoulder, "Right now, I think our best bet is Ozpin. He might be able to help. 'Til then, we find you a hospital for you to get treated at and sleep in while I try to get in touch with him."

"Sleep sounds good…" she replied, "I'm tired, Dad."

"I'm not…" he paused and said, "Don't worry about it, kid. We'll get you to the hospital, and we'll regroup from there. Sound good to you?"

"Sounds good," she agreed, "I'm not feeling too good, and not just from the arrow they shot in my back…"

"I know, kid," he said, practically carrying her into what was clearly the village hospital, "You'll be fine. We'll figure this out."

"I hope you're right," she said, "I'd like to see Yang, Ruby, Red, and Uncle Tai again after this."

"You will, Amber," he promised, "And I'll bet they'll be happy to see you."


	7. Chapter 7

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 7

Matters Concerning Politics and Communication Issues

I don't own RWBY. Things will change, others will be similar to canon, but, all in all, there shall be chaos. It took a little longer to finish than I expected, but it is finally complete.

"Well, the Vytal Festival should be interesting, at least," Ruby said as Team RWBY walked through the streets of Vale, headed for the docks, "Especially the weapons."

"I'm more interested in how their wielders use them," Weiss said, "We've got teams coming from all over for this celebration of cultures. How can anyone not be excited."

"Which leads us to the docks," Blake said dryly, "To spy on the new arrivals."

"You don't have to make it sound so crude," Weiss protested, once again examining the stock market and occasionally typing into her scroll.

"What's going on over there?" Yang asked, looking at a police cordon set up at a shop down the block.

They quickly made their way to the cordon, waiting at the edge as two police detectives murmured amongst themselves.

"Azul, Crimson, what happened?" Ruby asked softly, catching the pair's attention.

The officers looked at her before they each carefully glanced from left to right. Once they saw that the coast was clear, they started speaking softly.

"Alright, now we didn't say anything about this, but there's been a Dust Shop robbery," Azul said quietly, deliberately looking casual as he spoke.

"There's actually been a slew of them," Crimson said, masking his lip movements with a cup of coffee that he didn't actually drink, "They've been leaving the money and taking the Dust, so they've got to be setting up for some sort of army." He paused, pretending to wipe his mouth off with a napkin as he said, "We haven't been able to place anyone specific for this, but people are starting to suspect the White Fang."

"They're the only group who fit the bill for someone needing to supply an army with Dust quickly," Azul concluded, "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find any actual signs of suspects through S.O.P." He raised his voice to a regular volume and said, "You kids should just head on out. We don't have time for rubbernecking…"

"Got it," Ruby nodded, "Sorry for distracting you, detectives."

"Police don't usually tell random passersby things about on-going investigations," Yang noted.

Ruby, for her part, ignored that, and instead called out, "Blake, Weiss, what are you arguing about?!"

"Weiss seems to agree with those detectives," Blake said flatly, her bow slightly flattened, as well, "Despite the White Fang having no reason to be attacking shops in Vale."

"What about because they're a terrorist organization?" Weiss asked flatly, "That seems like a pretty good reason to me."

"The White Fang is not a terrorist organization," Blake protested, "They're just misguided Faunus who want the right to be treated as people."

"They've killed people!" Weiss protested.

"Then they're very misguided!" Blake replied, only for the pair to freeze at a sense of dread deep within them.

"Play. Nice," Red said flatly, her eyes glinting menacingly before Ruby took over once more.

"It's a nice day, girls," Ruby said, "Why don't we table the politics for now?"

"Yeah," Yang said, "We're here to relax and get a good look at the competition. Let's not make a mess of things with you two arguing."

"Hey, stop right there!" a police officer shouted, causing Azul and Crimson to rush from the crime scene.

As they did so, they all watched as a blond-haired Faunus with a monkey tail rush past them. As he passed, he winked at Blake before picking up the pace, the two officers chasing him as quickly as they could.

"After them!" Weiss shouted, racing behind the officers, prompting the rest of the team to follow her. As they rounded the corner, however, Weiss slammed into something that felt as solid as steel rods bolted together. "They're getting away!" Weiss bemoaned as she watched the boy swing over rooftops as the detectives tried to give chase.

"You might wanna look at what you slammed into," Yang said.

Looking down, Weiss immediately bolted up at the sight of an odd redheaded girl with a cheerful smile on her face.

"Salutations!" the girl said, inflecting too heavily upon the stressed syllables, not rising from the ground.

"Are you alright?" Yang asked.

"I'm doing fine, thank you!" the girl said, "Why do you ask?"

"Can you stand?" Ruby asked, walking over and offering a hand up. The girl, however, did not take it, opting to leap into the air with a grin.

"I'm Penny Polendina," she said, "It's nice to meet you! Who are you?"

"I'm Ruby Rose."

"Weiss Schnee."

"Blake Belladonna."

"Yang Xiao Long…" Yang paused as a thought occurred to her. "Did you say 'Polendina?' Are you related to a Professor Polendina?"

"That is my father!" she replied, "That would make you two the daughters of Taiyang Xiao Long. Father has mentioned your family in the past. You're the one who he made all those arms for, right? I'm very happy to meet you! I have only known of you two through your father's letters to mine!"

"I don't remember his letters mentioning you…" Yang said slowly.

"I am a relatively recent addition to his family," Penny said.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, too, Penny,: Ruby said, making the redhead smile.

"If you're Professor Polendina's daughter," Weiss chimed in, "What are you doing in Vale?"

"Oh!" Penny exclaimed, "I am here to participate in the Vytal Festival!"

"You're a Huntress in training?" Blake asked in a tone that sounded like it was taking effort to not sound incredulous.

"I am combat ready!" Penny agreed cheerfully.

"Where's your partner?" Ruby asked.

"I assume it wasn't that possible stowaway," Weiss noted dryly.

"My partner, Ciel Soleil, is currently preoccupied with determining our schedule. At the moment, I am attempting to be at leisure and make friends," Penny replied, "I will be meeting up with her in precisely twenty-eight minutes, seventeen seconds by the end of this sentence.."

"Well, we should head back," Yang said, "We've got other stuff to do. Maybe we'll see you around. Give Professor P. our best…"

"Take care, friend!" Ruby said as her parting words while Blake and Yang waved their goodbyes.

"I can't believe that's Professor Polendina's daughter," Weiss noted.

"I know. He's always sounded so put together in his letters, but she seems like she's a few bullets short of a full clip," Yang noted.

"Did you mean what you said?" Penny asked, stopping them all dead in their tracks as they saw her standing before them.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Yang said sincerely, "I didn't mean to…"

"Not you," Penny interjected, somehow managing to sound polite before she walked past Yang, Weiss, and Blake to move in on Ruby, "You…"

"What did I…?" Ruby said as Penny leaned in close to her, causing Ruby to lean back.

"Did you really mean that?" Penny asked, "Do you really consider me your friend?"

"Your eyes are really pretty," Ruby said, before quickly covering her mouth as Penny's almost glowing eyes seemed to widen slightly, "I mean, 'Yes.' Yes, I you friend. I'm your friend." She did her best to not look at Weiss and Blake respectively smacking her own forehead and pinching the bridge of her nose, as well as Yang's smirk. She suspected that she wouldn't be hearing the end of this for some time. She did, however, notice that Penny had a broad smile on her face.

"Sensational!" Penny exclaimed, "We can paint our nails, have sleepovers, watch movies…!"

"Wow, Rubes," Yang interjected, that smirk still not leaving her face, "And here I thought you were only interested in weapons."

"You like weapons?!" Penny asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Ruby replied, still thrown off by her own words.

"That's wonderful news!" Penny said, only for the conversation to be cut off by the sound of Blake and Weiss arguing.

"They've done nothing to engender trust from anyone!" Weiss argued, "The White Fang has been attacking people for years!"

"Well, maybe if companies like the SDC were to be much more serious about protecting their workforce, instead of using them as practically slave labor…!" Blake retorted.

"We'll talk more later," Ruby said, "We've got some team stuff to work out…"

"Farewell, friend!" Penny smiled, waving as she turned to leave.

"She gets to leave," Yang noted dryly, "If only we were so lucky as your little girlfriend."

"We just met her," Ruby muttered, before turning towards the pair and shouting, "Quiet!" When they both fell silent, she said, "Save it for the dorm. We're heading back. Now."

It was a testament to Ruby's annoyance that she had managed to strike fear into the hearts of the pair without having to switch places with Red.

* * *

The entirety of Team RWBY were completely silent as they made their way back to Beacon. Any time Weiss or Blake tried to speak, they were silenced by a flat stare from Ruby, and Yang didn't seem interested in talking either, seeming to have decided to let the situation play out.

Once they had gotten into the room, Ruby, still in a terrifying calm that was decidedly not the brand of terror that Red inflicted upon people, said, "Now, you're going to discuss this, and you will start civilly."

"Blake," Weiss began delicately, "while you are my teammate and have my respect, I have to question your insistence that the White Fang is anything but a terrorist organization. They've killed hundreds by this point."

"The White Fang was created in response to humans treating Faunus as lesser beings, Weiss," Blake replied slowly, "The escalation in violence was clearly in response to their mistreatment."

"But it still hasn't affected the right change," Weiss countered, "Look at Velvet. She has to hold back against Cardin and his ilk because they've made it so that any violence on the part of a Faunus would lead to people assuming they're part of a terrorist organization."

"It's not a perfect setup," Blake admitted, "But it's likely a problem with the current leadership. The underlying problem with how society treats the Faunus is still a major problem, one that was directly responsible for the rise of the White Fang. You have to admit that corporations like the SDC made life difficult for the Faunus, particularly their workers."

"That is not how the Schnee Dust Corporation is supposed to be," Weiss said flatly, "That was my father's doing."

"That just proves my point," Blake replied, "If your family's company can be run by someone like that, couldn't the White Fang have found themselves under misguided leadership."

"Terrible person that he is, my father hasn't ordered people to be executed," Weiss stated with heat slowly returning to her voice.

"No, he just enslaves people and cuts corners when it comes to safety regulations," Blake bit back.

Yang turned away from the slowly re-escalating fight to look at her younger sister, who was watching the proceedings with a very clear concern. Looking down, she saw her trigger finger twitching in the way that indicated that Red was trying her best to push to the fore to spare Ruby the stress of whatever situation she was in at a given time. As the conversation grew more and more intense, the twitching grew more and more intense, until it was as if Ruby were releasing a full magazine into the ground.

For her part, Yang placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture before the argument once again caught her attention.

"Do you know why I hate the White Fang?" Weiss demanded, "Why I refuse to believe they were just misguided? They've been at war with my family for as long as I can remember. Literal war. Practically every day, I would find out that another board member was killed. My mother's friends, even members who were trying to enact change as best they could. Every single day there was another attack. Facilities burned down to the ground, trains attacked. And every day, my father would be more and more furious. That made for a very unpleasant childhood. Things just kept getting worse and worse. If not for Klein taking such an active role in my growing up, I probably would have been a worse person. I could have wound up like my father with all the hatred I saw growing up. So, I can't accept that they're just misguided, not when all I've ever known them for is bloodshed. Even if that was how they started, they're nothing more than cutthroat murderers, now."

"Have you even thought about why we'd be like that?" Blake demanded, "Why we'd fight harder and harder as things got worse and worse for the Faunus? We were a protest group before your side escalated things. We wanted peace, but you just kept at it, until everything finally fell apart. We tried to be peaceful, but no one let us. We fought so hard to be treated with respect, only for people to keep treating us as if we were less than humans. People like your father, whose cruelty towards his Faunus workers helped lead to the White Fang choosing a change in leadership. We tried our best and all we got in response was more of the same. So, of course the majority of our members wound up following a leadership that we never should have listened to. We got desperate and now look at what happened…"

Blake paused, and even Ruby's trigger finger stopped as the weight of Blakes words took hold. There was no mistaking what she had said or the implications behind them. Weiss, for her part, stared at Blake in muted horror while Blake stood stock-still, knowing exactly what she had revealed. The entire team was frozen, unwilling to do anything, until Blake bolted out of the room before anyone else could regain their bearings.

Blake ran, stopping only at the statue at the front of Beacon, feeling the guilt she'd felt weighing down upon her as she removed her bow to reveal cat ears as she mournfully stared at the graven images of the Hunters before her.

"I thought you might look better without that bow," a cheerful voice called out from one of the lampposts, drawing her attention up to the speaker.

* * *

There was a noticeable chill in the air in Blake's absence, a sense of dread that, while nowhere near as terrifying as it was when the had faced the Nevermore, was decidedly more menacing than what Red normally caused in people.

"Red…" Yang asked slowly, much to Weiss's confusion. She hadn't ever heard Yang be cautious around Red before.

"Sister," Red acknowledged tonelessly.

"Will Ruby be coming out soon?" Yang asked.

"Unlikely," was the reply as Red began to head for the door, "Friend has run away. Will be tracking her down. Follow."

"That's not a good sign…" Yang muttered, before turning towards Weiss, "We'd better do what she says. When they get in this mood, there's no reasoning with Red and we won't be seeing Ruby until they both calm down…"

"What's going on with them?" Weiss asked as they followed Red out.

"Long story," Yang replied, "It's kinda like a defense mechanism. The best thing for everyone involved is to get Blake back, and fast."

* * *

Blake sighed as she looked at her reflection in a teacup.

"You know, you'd probably feel better if you talk to someone about this," the blond Faunus said.

"You really want to know, Sun?" Blake asked, "Alright. You might even be right. It could help to talk about it…"


	8. Chapter 8

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 8

Camaraderie and a Search for Meaning and Missing Friends

I don't own RWBY. And here the chaos deepens.

"Wow…" Sun said as Blake concluded her tale, "I'm going to be honest with you here, I thought it was going to be something like you used to be a jobber for the Branwen Tribe or something. This is way more intense…"

"I don't think that the Branwen Tribe deserves a favorable comparison," Blake said flatly.

"I know, but… Alright... Have you told your teammates?" At her tired stare, he deliberately changed to subject, "…So, you said that you don't think that the White Fang are behind the Dust robberies going on around here… Let's work with that for now…"

"The problem with that is that I don't know how to prove it," Blake explained, "The White Fang has never needed so much Dust before."

"What if they did?" At her confused glance, he said, "Maybe we could prove it by them not being where they would be if they were doing it… Back at the docks, I heard someone talking about a big shipment of SDC Dust coming in."

"How big a shipment?" she pressed.

"Huge."

"It's a start. Let's go."

* * *

"Blake!" Yang shouted as the three of them made their way through the streets, once again on the hunt for their teammate.

Weiss was silent, seeming disinterested, but Red's silence was absolutely omnipresent. It was as if the street around them was wordlessly calling out to Blake. Weiss decidedly did not say what she was thinking regarding the police, as she did not want to even want to know how she would react.

Red was not the same as the Red that Weiss had been getting well-acquainted with. Somehow, despite the lack of her mask, her face looked as if it were carved out of stone, the silver in her eyes were dull and, when she did speak, it sounded, to Weiss's ears, like a distant voice at the end of an empty, frozen hall. The loneliness that Weiss felt in her presence was stronger than it had been during even their training with Weiss's summons, when Red did whatever it was that she did to deliberately raise the feeling of unease she caused.

And then, there was Ruby, who hadn't been around at all since Blake's disappearance. While Weiss was aware that she was there in body, the differences between the two souls that resided n that body were distinct. If not for the fact that Red still had Red's mannerisms, she would have almost thought this was a third, completely different entity entirely.

"Hey, guys!" a cheerful voice with somewhat incorrect inflections said from behind the group, causing the three to turn, "What are…" she paused, her eyes focusing on Red with an almost laser-like focus. "You are not Ruby Rose."

Red tilted her head slightly and Weiss would have sworn that a person could have heard a pin drop as the world fell into a dead silence.

After that moment had passed, Red nodded to Penny and said, "Red Rose."

"Oh!" Penny said, "I have heard of you, but I didn't know you were attending Beacon! Where is Ruby and what are you all doing?"

Red sighed, the overbearing sense of dread that had haunted the group finally abating as a slight smile appeared and Ruby seemed to come to the fore, much to Weiss's surprise and Yang's fascination.

"Hi, Penny," Ruby greeted tiredly.

"We're looking for our friend Blake," Yang explained.

"Oh! The Faunus girl!" Penny said.

"How did you know that?" Ruby asked before Red popped up once again.

Penny, not seeming to notice beyond a general observation, simply said, "The cat ears…"

Red, for her part, simultaneously said, "Ears," before relinquishing control back to Ruby, albeit slightly slower than usual.

"So, where is she?" Penny asked.

"We… we don't know," Ruby admitted, "She's been missing since Friday."

Penny gasped, ignoring Weiss and Yang as she marched up to Ruby, grabbing her upper arms and generally ignoring the general rules of personal space, "Well don't you worry, Ruby, my friend. I will not rest until we find your teammate."

"That's really sweet of you, Penny, but… Wait. Don't you have your own teammates to deal with?"

"My partner is currently preoccupied with handling some last-minute paperwork and preparing for an evaluation that she needs," Penny said, "Worry not! I'm at your service!"

"That's okay, Penny…" Ruby said awkwardly, taking a step back to get a little more space between them, only for Penny to follow her, "We're alright… Right…?"

She paused at the sight of the empty space that Weiss and Yang had previously been occupying but had already abandoned. If one were to look carefully, they would have likely been able to see dust clouds that occupied that very same space.

* * *

"…To your own sister…" Weiss noted dryly.

"Ruby seemed to be getting along with her just fine," Yang defended with a smirk, "And she didn't seem to mind Red that much, either."

"Of course not," Weiss scoffed, "Red is perfectly agreeable for the most part. On that note, though…"

"It's a long story I don't feel like getting into right now," Yang said, "For now, let's just go with 'Ruby, Red, and I have some issues…' and leave it at that. Now, about Blake…"

"I'm sure we'll find her eventually," Weiss said flatly.

"You don't really care about finding her, do you?" Yang asked slowly.

"I want to find her," Weiss said sharply, "I just… I'm not sure what she'll say when we do… I'm not sure how much we can trust her, now."

"She's shared a room with us all this time without any problem," Yang defended, "If she was as bad as you think she is, wouldn't she have done something to you, specifically, already."

"I know that," Weiss said, "But I have no idea what to think… Let's just keep looking."

She marched off, leaving Yang to sigh to herself before following the heiress as they continued their search for their missing friend.

* * *

"So, Blake is your friend, but you're mad at her?" Penny asked.

"I'm not mad at her, Penny," Ruby said, "I'm sad about some things, but I'm not mad at her. Weiss is…"

"She is Blake's friend as well?" Penny pressed.

"That's kinda up in the air right now," Ruby said, "We found out some things about her she didn't tell us."

"Is she a man?" Penny asked incredulously.

"What?" Ruby asked in confusion, before the words sank in, "No, she's not a man. I-I don't really know what she is, exactly. We know a little bit, but she didn't give us much to go on before she ran off."

"I don't have many friends," Penny noted, "But I would want them to talk to me about things if I did."

"Me, too, Penny," Ruby replied softly before they began walking. Trying to comfort her but clearly not aware on how it worked, Penny clapped a hand on Ruby's shoulder as they made their way.

It was some time later when Ruby broke the silence and asked, "So, Penny, how many friends do you have?"

"Well, I have you and…" Penny began with a smile, before it faded from her face after a moment's pause, "Maybe we should discuss this later."

"At least you have your new best friend Ruby with you," Ruby said with a smile, "And we'll introduce you to my other friends, so you'll have even more friends!"

"Sensational!" Penny smiled back.

"Yep!" Ruby agreed, "So, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? What do you like to do for fun?"

And with that, the pair continued on their search, chatting amiably as they did.

* * *

Blake watched the crates carefully, waiting for any sign of anyone coming to steal them.

"Anyone show up yet?" Sun asked.

"No," Blake said, "After the crates were unloaded, they left, and now they're just… sitting there."

"Alright. Hey. Swiped you some food…" so saying, he held out his tail, which was brandishing an apple.

"Do you just casually break the law all the time?" Blake asked.

"Weren't you in a cult or something?" he returned, receiving a flat glare in response. "Okay. Too soon. Duly noted…"

It was at that moment that a massive Bullhead flew into the dock, landing amongst the crates. When the door opened and the first person got off, Blake said, "Oh, no."

"Is it them?" Sun asked.

"Yes…" Blake acknowledged, her voice soft, barely a whisper.

"You really didn't think it was them, did you?" he asked carefully.

"Some part of me knew…" she sighed, before another voice cut in.

"Alright, you animals, get to work!" Roman Torchwick said, getting off the Bullhead, "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous thieves here, and we're on a deadline!"

"This isn't right," Blake said, rising to her feet and drawing one of her swords, "The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that."

"What are you doing?" Sun asked, only to have her leap off and charge at Torchwick from the shadows in response.

When she had her blade to his throat, holding him from behind, she shouted "Nobody move!"

The White Fang soldiers raised their weapons in response, some seeming slightly hesitant before they did so. In response, Blake tore her bow off her head and said, "Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum."

Multiple soldiers lowered their weapons, some seeming to go completely still at the sight of her with her ears visible.

"Didn't you get the memo, kid?" Torchwick asked, "We're on a joint business venture…"

"Tell me what you're planning, or I'll put a permanent end to your little 'business venture,'" she demanded.

"I wouldn't call it little…" Torchwick said, looking up as two more Bullheads arrived, White Fang members leaping out once they were lose to the ground. As she was distracted, Torchwick aimed for the ground beneath her with his cane and fired, knocking her into the air.

When she regained her bearings, she found herself being fired upon by Torchwick. Using her natural speed and her Semblance, she managed to get out of his sight. As he slowly made his way to where he'd last seen her, however, a banana peel fell directly in front of him, causing him to slip as he stepped on it.

As he barely regained his balance before falling, he was immediately leapt upon by Sun, who flipped through the air and said, "Leave her alone."

The White Fang members that had already left the ships immediately surrounded him.

"You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you?" Torchwick mocked.

Sun, for his part, began to fight them with a quick display of martial arts, before drawing his weapon, what looked like a staff made of shotguns. As he fought his way through the soldiers, however, it soon became apparent that the staff was actually two sets of nunchaku that were made out of shotguns. He switched back to the staff as Torchwick began to fire upon him, creating a smokescreen that Blake took advantage of to get in a few solid hits.

Before she could deliver a blow to knock Torchwick's weapon out of his hand, however, he managed to parry, knocking her back with his cane. When Blake managed to take him by surprise as he hurriedly blocked Sun's shots, sending the gangster to the ground, Torchwick noticed a shipping crate dangling in the air via crane and fired, sending it down upon the pair, who leapt out of the way. As Sun tried to get to his feet, Torchwick leveled his cane at his head and readied to fire, only for a cry of "Hey!" to catch his attention.

Turning, he saw Ruby standing upon a roof, unfurling her scythe with a glare.

"Red, how nice to see you!" he greeted mockingly, "Isn't it past your bedtime?!"

"I'm Ruby!" she shouted back, much to his annoyance.

"Does that really matter, right now?!" he called out, rolling his eyes.

Ruby, for her part, was distracted from the exchange when Penny arrived and asked, "Ruby, are these people your friends?"

"Penny, get back," Ruby ordered, only for Torchwick to capitalize on her distraction, shooting her scythe to blast her down before letting out a maniacal laugh that he suddenly stopped.

"You know," he mused, "This might be a problem… Time for a bit more reinforcement…" So saying, he let out a shrill whistle.

Up on the roof, however, Penny's eyes narrowed as she made her way to the ledge.

"Penny, stop," Ruby said.

"Don't worry, Ruby," Penny smiled dangerously, "I'm combat ready…" so saying, a compartment in her backpack opened, revealing several thin swords, seemingly floating through the air.

As she began to tear through the White Fang troops, Ruby stared in awe, only to feel a tap on her shoulder, right behind her hood. Turning, she saw pink and brown hair and eyes staring at her from above a devious smirk.

The smirk, however, vanished at the same time that Ruby's eyes began to almost glow in the moonlight, and a sense of dread began to fill every soul on the docks while the eyes of the young woman before her turned white.

As she stepped back, Red began to grin wolfishly, walking up to Crescent Rose before collapsing the scythe and putting away the rifle. Neo found herself unable to move as Red reached behind her and withdrew what looked like a simple woodsman's ax, which caused Neo to step back nervously. Red moved slowly as she approached Neo, the smile vanishing as she neared. Adrenaline kicking in, Neo waited for the first blow, so she could begin her counter-attack.

It was at that moment that Red threw the ax, which Neo batted aside with her umbrella.

When she did so, however, the ax handle broke, causing a black smoke to obstruct her vision. Neo opened her umbrella, hoping to use the change in air pressure to push the smoke away at least a bit, only to be knocked over by bolas. When she cut herself free with her umbrella's blade, she saw it. Five sets of cyclical chambers on one box, and a hand with a finger already on the trigger. She didn't even want to know what it would do to her umbrella's armor, let alone what it would do to her. Using her Semblance to make herself seem to disappear, she raced out of the scene, already knowing where she was going to need to meet Torchwick.

Red, for her part, didn't seem to care, only bothering to turn to see Penny slice a Bullhead in half with lasers from her swords, grabbing a second one with more of them, which seemed to be attached to almost imperceptible wires. Whistling to Penny, Red pointed her five miniguns at the one she was pinning. Glancing up from where she was almost effortlessly dragging a Bullhead down to the ground Penny smirked and released the Bullhead. As it tried to make its escape, it was promptly shredded by the bullets.

It was only then that they noticed the third Bullhead was gone, and Torchwick with it.

* * *

Some time later, when the police had finally arrived and questioned the group, Weiss and Yang arrived.

"Do you have any idea how worried we all were?" Weiss demanded of Blake. "We tore this town apart looking for you and that gave me a lot of time to think about things. And you know what? I don't care!"

"You… don't care?" Blake asked.

"You're not a part of them anymore, right?" Weiss prompted.

"No, I…"

"Save the details for when we're all back home if you still want to explain," Weiss cut in, "For now, all I want to hear is that you'll talk to your teammates when you have something this big come up and not someone else." She paused to glance at Sun, "Mostly no offense…"

"No, no, I'm with you," Sun replied quickly, "Uh… a little offense taken?"

"I promise," Blake said.

"Good to have back," Red said, while Yang smiled softly, only for Ruby to come back to the fore and cheer, "Yeah! Team Ruby is back together!"

"Uh… What just happened?" Sun asked, "Did anyone else feel like some sort of danger just vanished."

"Wait…" Ruby said, unintentionally interrupting any attempts at explanation, "Where's Penny?"

* * *

From a car that was just taking off, Penny looked out the window at the group as her driver said, "You should know better than to go running off alone in strange city."

"I know sir," Penny said faintly.

"Your time will come, Penny," the man said, handing her a scroll, "In the meanwhile, your father would like to have a word with you before his ship lands."

"His… ship?" she asked in confusion.

"It seems that General Ironwood decided that he needed the world's leading mind in machinery with him, after all…" the driver said with a slight smile as he adjusted the mirror to view his charge's delighted reaction to the news, "We'll be seeing him sometime soon."

* * *

Elsewhere, Ozpin closed the security feed he'd been using to monitor Team RWBY and opened a message that had just come in.

QROW:

AMBER NEEDS HELP.

CURRENTLY HOME.

QUEEN HAS PAWNS.

Ozpin stared at the message, humming in concern. He had suspected the third, and the second was a natural reaction to the first, but the first was incredibly troubling, in more ways than one. He was going to have to look much more closely into the matter.

* * *

As Team RWBY headed home, meanwhile, Ruby pulled up her hood, only to pause at the sensation of a card on one side. Pulling it out, she read in what looked like elegant calligraphy that had been written in a hurry, "New player's pulling our strings like nooses. Help. -N" Pocketing it, she decided that she and Red would have to look further into this later.

* * *

Neo was already sitting at the table when Torchwick tiredly entered the rundown warehouse currently acting as their base, her hands almost blurring as she signed rapidly at him.

"Yes, I know!" he snapped, "I don't know what you expect me to do about it, though!"

"Domestic troubles, Roman?" their current employer asked, causing Neo's eyes to turn white as Torchwick slowly turned around to see her and her two shadows, "I thought you said that getting her back would make your work go more smoothly, yet here we are…"

"Hey, now…" he said nervously, before flatly saying, "You guys were the ones who made us work with those White Fang clowns. You got exactly what you paid for with them…"

"We paid for your services and expected more from you both," she said coolly, causing Neo to nervously finger the clasp of her umbrella, "Besides, you have a Faunus working for you, don't you? Where is that one, anyway?"

"He's running a smaller job on the other side of town," Torchwick said carefully, "But me finding someone who has a head for numbers doesn't change the fact that we're working with amateurs that don't know the difference between a fiddle game and a mugging."

"And you'll keep working with them," the woman said, making fire appear in her hand as her lackeys stepped out of the shadows, "We have big plans for you. All we need is a little cooperation…"


	9. Chapter 9

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 9

Food Fights and the Troubles Found in the Criminal Underbelly

I don't own RWBY. Time for some fun!

A green-haired girl and a grey haired boy entered Tukson's Book Trade, which was devoid of any of the regulars, but that was commonly the case on days like that one.

The girl made her way to the empty counter while the boy began to walk around, keeping close to the door as she rang the bell. The proprietor, a large man with black sideburns that extended almost to the corners of his mouth promptly arrived with two massive stacks of books resting comfortably on his arms, which he promptly set down on a cart on his side of the counter.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, how may" he greeted, before pausing. Were someone with a trained eye to have focused on his, they would have noticed a slight tension before he seemed to deliberately return to a calm state, smiling as he said, "How may I help you?"

"Just browsing," the boy said.

"I actually wanted to check something," the girl said, "Do you have copies of 'The Thief and the Butcher?'"

"Yes, we do," he said, "It's getting pretty popular."

"Great!" she smiled, but did not move otherwise.

He slowly took on a relaxed stance as he asked, "Would you like a copy?"

"No thanks," she replied as the boy slammed a book shut, "What about Violet's Garden, in paperback?"

"He's got it," the boy said, "Hardback, too."

"Ooh! Options are nice… The Man with Two Souls?" she continued.

"That one's the most popular one in stock," he replied freely, seemingly back in her element.

"Got any comics?" the boy asked.

"In the front," he replied.

"Wait!" the girl said, "I know! What about… Third Crusade?"

He froze. After a brief moment, he said, "I don't believe we carry that one…"

The boy slammed the book shut, both of them staring at him while the girl's smile seemed to become almost serpentine as she said, "What was the name of this place again?"

"Tukson's Book Trade…" he said warily.

"And you would be Tukson, right?"

"Yes."

"So, you came up with the catchphrase…"

"…Yes," he replied slowly, his unease becoming more apparent.

"What was it again?" the boy asked.

He sighed. "Tukson's Book Trade: Home to Every Book Under the Sun…"

"Except the Third Crusade," the boy noted, "That's false advertisement."

"People don't like when you break your promises, Tukson," the girl said as the boy locked the door and shut off the lights, "Especially not promises like those made to your brothers in the White Fang. Rumor has it you're planning on running all the way to Vacuo… You know who we are, don't you?"

"…Yes."

"And you know why we're here," she pressed.

"Yes."

"Are you going to fight back?" she asked as the boy took up a position behind her.

Baring his claws, he leapt onto the counter. "Yes!" he roared, leaping at her, only for her to duck as the boy raised his leg and fired a single shot from the gun in his leg.

Their work done, they exited the shop, the boy browsing through a comic as they did so.

"Why did you even take that, Mercury?" she asked.

"I like the pictures, Emerald," he shrugged.

"Let's just go," she sighed.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Beacon Academy, Blake Belladonna frowned in fear and frustration as she looked at the notes and drawings she had made of the branch of the White Fang she was extremely familiar with and the picture of the back of the leader of said branch.

"Whatcha looking at?" Yang asked, leaning in to get a good look.

"Nothing," Blake replied quickly, shutting her book abruptly, "Just… my notes from the last semester."

"Sounds boring," Yang replied, sliding the book forward. If she happened to not believe Blake, it didn't particularly matter, as she changed the subject, catching a grape launched by Nora in her mouth as she did so. "So, got any plans for the day?"

It was at that moment that, with a loud thud, Ruby dropped a huge binder onto the table.

"Friends, sisters, Weiss!" Ruby said, only for Red to chime in.

"Present," Red said, before retreating as Weiss complained about Ruby's distinction about herself.

"Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream!" she began "A dream that we would have the best day ever! And I brought that dream to bear in this binder!"

"That's my binder," Weiss noted flatly.

"Irrelevant!" Ruby shouted, "With all of the students from the other Academies coming in and classes starting back up tomorrow, I wanted us to have a great day before everything started up again. You know, go out with a bang?"

"I tend to like to have things go out with a Yang," Yang smirked, causing Weiss, Blake, and Ruby to groan, but Red to come to the fore and give her a high five.

Nora, in contrast, had thrwn a tomato at her nose, calling out "Boo! Get better material!"

Ignoring the exchange, Ruby said, "So, are you in?"

"In, naturally," Red answered.

"I think I'll sit this one out…" Blake said slowly as Yang threw an apple at Nora.

"In r out, I think the important thing is that we stick together as a team," Weiss offered, only to receive a pie to the face from Nora as a result. Wiping off her face, she fixed her gaze on Team JNPR and picked up a croissant as she said, "Challenge accepted."

Everyone in the cafeteria that was from Beacon froze as Team RWBY and Team JNPR each rose from their tables with steely eyes and food in hand. Velvet quietly excused herself from the table, recalling what she had done last time she'd gotten involved in a food fight. While Coco had forgiven her for the Noodle Incident, she no longer let her bring so much as a pudding cup into the team's dorm room. The Two Brothers only knew what Coco would do if she were involved in another food fight. No, meeting up with her teammates in the lab was absolutely the best choice, all things considered.

* * *

Outside of the cafeteria, Sun was speaking with his own teammate.

"And she was so fast, she was like whoosh-whoosh-whoosh! Then, I threw a banana at this one guy, which sounds gross, but it was great. Also, she's a Faunus…!" He paused. "But you can't tell anyone that. It's a secret. I mean a 'secret' secret, not an 'I'll tell Scarlet when Sun isn't looking secret.' But they're all pretty cool, well, except for the white-haired one. She's kinda prissy, but she's pretty cool, too. Oh, and be careful around Red, Neptune. From what I can tell, she's the leader, but she's kinda intense. Her sister's cool, though. But I really like these guys, and I want them to know my team is cool too, so be cool. Can you be cool?"

"Dude," Neptune said, posing charismatically.

"Yeah, you're right," Sun admitted, before they both entered the cafeteria, only to see all of the other students fleeing what could only be described as a war between two teams. Astride a castle made of tables and soda machines on the other side., Team JNPR stood proud as Nora chanted, "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"

Across the way, Team RWBY stood in defiance as Ruby clutched a carton of milk.

"Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful!" She crushed the milk in her hand. "It will be delicious!"

"Off with their heads!" Nora commanded as Team JNPR began to unleash a volley of watermelons.

"Yang, turkey!" Ruby ordered, causing Yang to rush off and apply turkeys to her hands as if they were her gauntlets. As she smashed the melons, Blake grabbed two long rolls of bread and used them as if they were her swords, joining Yang. Behind them, Ruby smirked as Red took over.

"Playtime," Red grinned, tossing a silver fruit bowl, which was full of grapes, strawberries, and a couple of apples at Pyrrha, who flipped back and caught from the bottom with her Semblance. As she reared it back to build up speed, she was blindsided by the sudden flight of a banana towards her, arcing like a boomerang. Ducking under it, her attention was diverted from the bowl just in time for Red's second banana to strike it from the side, knocking the fruit towards Pyrrha, who just barely dodged most of them, only to find herself having to dodge a volley of bananas as Red seemed to pull them out of nowhere

As this was occurring, Weiss and Jaune were facing off, Weiss with a swordfish, and Jaune with a long bread roll and a tray meant to hold turkeys. While Jaune did show signs of improving, his true advantage was with the tray, which he used to block the blows as best he could. His every strike with the bread was immediately predicted, but his blocking had improved greatly, and he had even successfully parried a strike with the tray. It was as he tried a feint, however, that he met his undoing. His attack predicted, he was knocked back, only to be caught by Pyrrha as Nora and Ren engaged Weiss. Grabbing a ketchup container, she blasted the floor as if she were firing Dust, sending Ren to the floor as she and Nora began to exchange blows between the swordfish and Nora's makeshift hammer of a flagpole and a watermelon.

As this was happening, Pyrrha swung Jaune towards Red, who swapped with Ruby for her turn, while Pyrrha found herself facing off against Blake and Yang. Grabbing another long roll, Pyrrha launched it at Yang, who had a new set of turkeys on her arms, having used them to knock Ren back earlier. Yang blocked roll after roll before charging at Pyrrha, who braced herself and raised the last roll she had grabbed as if it were a sword and lunged. Just before the turkey and the roll met, however, Blake leapt over Yang, practically coming out of nowhere as she threw a pair of long rolls at Pyrrha. Flipping back towards Blake, Pyrrha launched the roll at Yang, knocking her back as Blake used a string of sausage as if it were the ribbon of Gambol Shroud, which Pyrrha tried to block with a hastily grabbed long roll, only to be knocked into the soda machine.

In Ruby and Jaune's battle, meanwhile, Ruby had taken a long bread roll and a chunk of a large, uncut pizza's crust to create a rudimentary scythe, which she was using to get past Jaune's tray, causing him to back up onto a soda can, his tray flying, only to be caught by Ruby, who used it to slide across one of the remaining tables to get to Ren, who had just gotten up, a leek in each hand as he braced himself for the fight.

Batting aside the tray as she kicked it towards him, he began to swing the leeks as if they were blades, moving quickly and efficiently as he made Ruby back up, only to find himself swinging at rose petals, the bread-scythe twirling over his shoulder bottom-first, the pizza crust pointed upward as Ruby appeared behind him, twisting the bread-scythe fast enough to hook it around his shoulder as she swung him towards Jaune, just in time to see Nora about to strike Weiss. Moving quickly, she tried to counter with the scythe, only to be struck back, sending Weiss into a pillar, which began to crumble. Rushing, she grabbed Weiss and flew out of the path of the column.

"Weiss, speak to me!" she cried dramatically before letting Red come to the fore.

"Partner, get up," Red said urgently, "Not time to fall!"

Meanwhile, Yang and Nora were facing off, Yang countering each melon that Nora launched with her melon-hammer as she neared. Just as she was about to strike with a turkey gauntlet, however, she was sent through the roof by a quick change of attack by Nora. Who was, in turn, knocked back by Blake's sausage ribbon.

Not to be outdone, Nora unleashed a volley of soda cans, which Blake managed to evade through use of her Semblance. It was at that moment, however, that Pyrrha chose to strike, sending a barrage of cans towards the only member of Team RWBY currently still engaged in combat, sending her down with the overwhelming show of force. As some neared Ruby and Weiss, they were quickly stopped by a large, gauntleted arm made of ice, which blocked the attack, sending it splashing around the pair.

"Ruby, finish?" Red smirked, tossing several pieces of fruit into the air as Ruby took command once again, vanishing in a swirl of rose petals. Team JNPR could only watch in awe as Ruby began to spiral around the center of the battlefield that had once been a cafeteria, gathering everything she could, as well as everything they threw at the growing vortex before she charged at them, knocking over the platform as everything blew towards the helpless team. Stopping at the farthest wall, she waited until the team slammed into the wall to leap out of the path of her whirlwind of edible doom, which slammed into Team JNPR as Ruby snagged the bread-scythe from the edge of the end of the attack, posing victorioiusly as the completely covered Team JNPR slowly slid down the wall that they had completely blended into.

"I love these guys," Sun said once the spectacle ended, turning to see Neptune drenched.

It was at that moment that Professor Goodwitch arrived and, with a flick of her crop, reorganized the cafeteria.

"Children," she said flatly, "Please do not play with your food."

It was at that moment that Yang finally crashed back through the roof.

As she readied to verbally eviscerate her students, Ozpin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let it," he said placatingly.

"They're supposed to be the defenders of the world," she sighed.

"And they will be," he replied, "But for now, they're children, so let's just let them act the part. After all…" he glanced meaningfully at his scroll and the messages from Qrow that it held hidden within it, "It isn't a role they'll have forever."

* * *

Elsewhere, in a warehouse that was registered as abandoned, Emerald and Mercury entered to see White Fang operatives moving containers of Dust.

"Oh, she sent the kids!" Torchwick greeted, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders, "This is turning out exactly like the divorce."

"Please spare us the thought of you procreating," Emerald shuddered, pushing him off of her.

"It was a joke," Torchwick said, "And this." He held aloft a paper. "… Just might tell me where you two have been all day."

Emerald glanced down to check her pocket.

"I'm a professional," he said, unfolding the paper, "You could learn a thing or… Why did you have this address?"

"We were cleaning up your messes," Mercury said, "One of them, anyway."

"I had that under control," he glared.

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise," Mercury retorted.

"Look, punk," Torchwick said, "If it were up to me, I would take both you and your little street rat friend and…"

"Do what, Roman?" a voice that practically slithered asked from above, causing him to pause in fear and the other two to smirk at the reaction. With the clinking of glass, the black-haired woman in the red dress stepped onto a lift that was on the floor above them.

As the leader of the group descended from the lift, her eyes faintly glowing, Torchwick chuckled nervously and said, "I'd uh… not kill them?"

"Cinder!" Emerald greeted excitedly, moving towards the woman gleefully, only to be ignored.

"I thought I told you to eliminate the would-be runaway," Cinder stated flatly.

"I was going to," Torchwick replied nervously.

"He was going to run to Vacuo," Emerald interjected, "Mercury and I decided to take it upon ourselves to kill the rat."

"I think he was a cat, actually," Mercury mused.

"Like a puma?" she asked.

"That's it!" he replied cheerfully.

"Quiet!" Cinder snapped, ending their exchange completely, while Torchwick taunted them silently behind her, "Did I not instruct you to avoid anything that would get you noticed while in Vale?"

"I just thought—" Emerald began.

"Don't think," Cinder snapped, before softly saying, "Obey."

"Yes, ma'am," Emerald replied quickly, "It won't happen again."

"And you," Cinder glared, turning towards Torchwick, "Why wasn't this job done sooner?"

Roman gestured towards all of the containers in the warehouse before saying, "I've been getting every speck of Dust in this godforsaken kingdom!"

"You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask," Mercury noted dryly.

"Look around, punk," Torchwick glared, "Even with these amateurs, I've got everyone running scared. Police around every corner, Dust prices through the roof, and we're sitting pretty in a warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials, and rounds than we know what to do with. Speaking of which, would you mind telling me the plan? It would make things so much easier if I knew what the hell we were doing!"

"Roman, have a little faith," Cinder replied, walking up to him and lightly pressing a hand to his jaw, the flames in her golden eyes dancing, "You'll know what you need when you need to know it."

He growled lightly, knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with his questions.

"Besides, we're done with Dust," she said, walking away at his silent surrender.

"Okay, what now?" he asked.

"We're moving," she replied, "Have the White Fang clear out this building. I'll send you the details and coordinates tonight."

"Coordinates?" he parroted.

"We're moving on to Phase 2," she replied, walking off with her minions.

Torchwick sighed and pulled out a cigar before reaching for his lighter, only to find it missing. Looking up, he saw Emerald lingering behind to smirk as she reached for her own pocket, only to pause in confusion. With the sound of glass shattering, Neo practically appeared beside him, much to his surprise, handing him his lighter.

Once they were both certain that the trio had departed, they went to their private office, which Neo quickly scanned for bugs before they began to converse in sign language. While he had not originally known it, it had been handy ever since the start of their partnership.

'I told you this was a bad idea,' she signed.

'Yes, we've been over this,' he replied, 'And like I said, we don't exactly have much of a choice, now do we? We've just got to be more careful.'

'Well, now we know for sure that they are watching the ticket booths,' she said, her expression grim, 'So that way's out.'

'We'll think of something,' he said, 'We just need a little more time…'


	10. Chapter 10

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 10

Games and the Inherent Differences of Facets of a Jewel

I don't own RWBY. There are no definitive rules given for Remnant: The Game that I could find, so I have created a terrifying mix of various games, with what you see here barely scratching the surface.

General Ironwood's Bullheads continued to fly through Beacon, and there had been a patrol that seemed to be examining the general area every hour or so. The more pressing concern to the general, himself, however, was speaking to Ozpin, who had been the entire reason he had been there in the first place.

When he had gained admittance to the tower where Ozpin's office resided, however, he saw that the man, himself, was not there, with Glynda Goodwitch sitting in the Headmaster's chair with an unamused expression on her face.

"You may have forgotten," she said flatly, "But Beacon is an Academy, not a base of operations in Atlas."

"It's good to see you, too, Glynda," he said dryly, "It's been far too long. I take it that he's out?"

"Would we be speaking if he wasn't? He left an hour ago."

"Qrow?"

"Qrow," she confirmed.

"What do you think happened?" he asked, "Amber was… is a—"

"I know," Glynda interrupted, "For everyone's sake, I hope she's alright."

"I don't suppose there's any good news…?" he asked.

"She's not dead and he'll be calling in for a briefing once he's assessed what's happened. So, if you're interested in seeing what's going on, I'd suggest you have a seat. This will be a while."

* * *

In the library, Team RWBY were tense at the table that they were seated at. What had started as a fun game of Remnant: The Game had quickly turned into a figurative war as intense as any in real life.

It was as Red began to examine her cards and the board that Pyrrha approached the table and asked, "What if you moved your troops to that position and used that card? That would get you one of Weiss's outposts while completely circumventing the horde of Deathstalkers she has there."

She pointed at a set of Fearless Soldiers and a card labeled Into The Valley of Death, but Red shook her head, "Too costly. Would cost many lives just for one monitoring station."

"What about that card, then?" she asked, pointing at the card labeled Air Support, "You could stage a direct assault."

"Currently unviable with Nevermore potentially in play," Red replied, "Current method is working."

"What exactly are you doing?" she asked.

"Playing dirty," Yang replied, "She's choked out almost all of my supply lines. All I've got left is one supply line that's being run ragged with orders! Now the prices have gone up and more funds are being diverted to the war effort and less to internal defenses. And she poisoned Blake's water supplies. The only thing going for me at the moment is that Weiss's forces are easy to beat."

"I'm not even sure how this game works," Weiss chimed in, "At one point, Red took my stronghold because of a card called 'Mistralian Horse.' My soldiers were taken by surprise and she literally decimated the survivors. One in every ten prisoners was killed without ever seeing battle."

"That is brutal," Pyrrha noted, "To deny their troops even glory on the battlefield. They will never be brought to the Gilded Hall."

"But Mistral troops still alive," Red noted, "Need not pass through doors, yet. Yang. Unrest card. Vale Outpost Seven. Roll die."

"Shoot!" Yang called out, grabbing the red die in the center of the board, "Please be a one, please be a one, please be a one…"

The die rolled across the table at her throw and came to a stop. There, for everyone to see, were six pips.

"Ursai turn on Vale Outpost Seven due to mounting tensions amongst troops being exacerbated by Mistral troops deliberately making merry at Mistral Outpost Twenty-Four across the border to antagonize. Troops slaughtered to a man. Playing Reclamation card."

As this continued, Weiss asked, "Pyrrha, what's the Gilded Hall? What does it do?"

"It's a legend that is more well-known in Anima," Pyrrha explained as Red successfully conquered Vale Outpost Seven, which choked out another section of Yang's supply line, separating her from the farmlands she had left, "The Gilded Hall is a feast hall where the souls of those who passed on in glorious battle of any sort may live forever, carried away by the Riders of Destiny. It's said that those who came before offer us their aid in our own battles as they battle and feast to their hearts' content. All seats are free to be used save one. The head of the table is forbidden."

"Why?" Weiss asked, her curiosity piqued as Jaune came to observe the game.

"The one who sat there was destroyed when the world ended, according the legends," Pyrrha answered, "The Hall remained, and welcomed the victorious dead into the Hall once more when life had been reborn. The Riders of Destiny lost many of their numbers, according to the tales, but there were still enough to carry off the dead. So, the head of the table remains empty, until time finally ends. To honor the fallen one, who was the spirit of the Hunt, we dedicate battles to the Hall."

"Our Uncle Qrow told us that story," Yang said, trying to find a way to save her starving troops from being miserable enough that the rest of her Grimm would turn on them, "Our cousin Amber really liked that one."

"I didn't know you guys had a cousin," Jaune chimed in, " Does she go to an Academy?"

"Graduated from Beacon," Red said, "Uncle Qrow took her on as apprentice after graduation."

"He says he's not her dad, but we all know that she's basically his kid even if he isn't biologically her dad," Yang said, before turning towards Blake, "I play Smuggler's Delight, which lets me take two cards from your hand. I'm also playing Airship Privateer for a raid on Mantlean Farmland Two, your most undefended farm, which lets me take two cases of crops and one farmer if I roll a three or higher." She rolled it, getting a five or her efforts.

Blake, for her part, did not react, seeming to be occupied by other thoughts.

"You okay there, Blake?" Yang asked.

"It's fine," Blake said, "I'm fine. Is it my turn?"

"It's mine, actually," Weiss said, "At least, I think it is… I'm not sure what I can do at the moment, though. I don't think even fully understanding this game would help me…"

"Make an alliance?" Red offered, gesturing at the last diplomacy token Weiss had, the previous two having been spent in a failed attempt to get Red to release the Atlesian prisoners and a successful roll that gave her one of Yang's farms earlier in the game, "Join forces?"

"Don't listen to her!" Yang protested, "She only wants you for your huge tracts of land!"

"Technology boosts, too," Red corrected, "Alliance means aid and training for Atlesian troops. Morale raised on both sides. Could take by force, but alliance would be preferable."

"I suppose an alliance could help." She held out her blue diplomacy token as Red offered a red one of her own.

"Roll a one or a six and it works, Ice Queen. Roll anything else, you have to give Red everything," Yang said, causing Weiss to pause before slowly lifting the die.

The table was tense, save for Blake, who remained not fully there mentally. Weiss shook the die in her hand and tossed the die that would determine the destiny of her Kingdom. Time seemed to slow to a near halt as the die bounced against the table once, twice, then a third time, before it rolled over along the surface of the table. Everyone waited with bated breath as it came to a stop, revealing a single pip sitting plainly upon the top face of the die.

"Alliance successful!" Red said with a slight smirk directed at Yang before she smiled at Weiss, "Welcome, partner."

It was at this moment that Sun entered with Neptune.

"Hey, losers!" Sun greeted cheerily, "Red, Yang, Blake, Ice Queen."

"Please tell me that isn't going to be my nickname," Weiss sighed.

"Sounds regal," Red offered consolingly.

"This is my best friend," Sun said dramatically, "My right hand man, Neptune."

"So, where are you from, Neptune?" Weiss asked.

"Haven, actually," Neptune replied, slowly making his way towards her, "And I don't think I caught your name, snow angel…"

"I'm Weiss," she replied with a slight smile.

"Pleasure to meet you…" he said, only to suddenly practically freeze as he felt a strange sense of dread slowly building up. It was as if there were water everywhere, but he couldn't see it. And it felt like it was rising, building up slowly into a tsunami that was going to take him and everyone else in one fell swoop. Glancing around, he saw the one Sun addressed as Red staring at him, her silver eyes almost glowing like moonlight upon the sea in the light of the library as they pinned him in place before she quickly shook her head.

"Sorry," she said quickly, tilting her head slightly as the imagined water water seemed to flow away slightly, "Was not intentional. Putting Ruby on."

"What?" Neptune asked, before Red switched with Ruby, causing the slight tension everyone was feeling from her presence to vanish.

"Sorry," Ruby said, "She can get pretty intense when we're playing this game, though that's usually only with other players. I'm Ruby, by the way."

Neptune opened his mouth to ask a question before thinking better of it and decided not to do that after all.

"You know, I wouldn't have pegged you for the board game type," Sun noted to Blake.

"I think I'm actually done," Blake said, getting out of her seat, "I'm going to head out. See you guys later…"

Everyone shared a look at that, before Yang said, "I'll go talk to her. Sun, you can take my kingdom."

"I'll take Blake's," Jaune noted.

"Your turn, then," Red said as she came back to the fore.

"You should sent that platoon to that border outpost," Pyrrha noted, "You have the manpower for a full-on assault upon the base with acceptable casualties."

"I'm pretty sure that it would cost me a bit of my troops," Jaune noted as Red handed him the instruction manual to thumb through, "And I'd have to wait quite a few turns to build back up the numbers…"

* * *

"Hey, Blake, wait up!" Yang called out to her partner, causing the Faunus to pause. "You alright?"

"Not really," she admitted, "I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"Wanna talk about it?" Yang asked.

"No… Yes… Sort of," Blake replied slowly.

"Let's go to the room," Yang suggested, "We can talk or not talk in there."

The pair walked in silence before they got to the room, at which point Yang shut the door and locked it, along with the window, which she promptly covered with the curtains before sitting on Weiss's bed, across from Blake, who sat quietly, looking down without a single move. Yang watched her, not asking anything or trying to prod her for any information. After several minutes, she moved from her spot, taking a seat to the right of Blake as she asked, "Did I ever tell you about how…?"

"Ozpin talked to me, you know," Blake interrupted softly, "After the incident on the docks…"

"What about?" Yang coaxed gently, "I'm guessing it was about more than just the incident if it's got you worried like this."

"He asked me about where I'd learned how to fight, how I knew to check the docks," she replied, "And why I wear my bow. He knows I'm a Faunus, and I'm pretty sure he knows I was part of the White Fang…"

"What makes you so sure?" Yang asked, resting her left hand on Blake's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"The way he kept wording things, the questions he was asking," Blake replied, "There really wasn't any other way to interpret the way he said everything. But, he didn't seem to hold it against me. Not really. I still didn't confirm anything, but he just seemed so… tired."

"I guess that's why he's always drinking coffee," Yang offered, clearly trying to ease Blake's tension with a joke.

"It's actually hot chocolate," Blake said with a slight smile as she turned her head towards Yang.

"You're kidding," Yang said incredulously.

"I'm not," Blake assured her.

"Like, with marshmallows and everything?" she pressed.

"I don't know about the marshmallows, but it's definitely chocolate."

"Huh. I owe Ruby twenty lien…" she muttered, "So that's what's been bothering you? It sounds like Ozpin knows you're on the up and up, and even if he didn't, I'd vouch for you or run with you if it came to that. Ruby, Red, and Weiss would do the same."

"It's not just that…" she admitted, only for Weiss and Red to suddenly unlock the door and enter the room enter the room.

"You could have gone easier on them," Weiss noted.

"War is not soft," Red replied, "Jaune learned fast. Better than Sun and Neptune."

"We can talk more about this later," Yang offered, getting up from her spot beside Blake.

"No," Blake said slowly, "It's probably for the best that we talk about it now that everyone's here…"

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked, "You've been distancing yourself from us all. We're your teammates, and you made a promise to me that you would come to us for these sort of things."

"I'm just… worried," she admitted, "Torchwick said he was working with the White Fang on a join collaboration. Whatever it is that they're doing, it's big and no one's doing anything about it. No one is ready for any of the things they could throw at everyone. How could they be?! They don't know the White Fang! Not really, not like I do! They just know what they've seen and that doesn't scratch enough of the surface."

Yang and Red shared a look before Red turned to Ruby, who gave Yang a decisive nod.

"Before anyone starts," Weiss said quickly, "I'd like to remind you all that we're students. None of us are ready to try our hands at vigilante justice."

"And we may never be ready!" Blake replied, "Our enemies are just getting ready for something and we don't have any clue what it is other than it's dangerous!"

"Saying we're not ready for vigilante justice might not be completely accurate…" Ruby chimed in slowly.

"Ruby, what are you talking about," Yang asked warily.

"You remember how I knew those two police detectives?" Ruby asked, "And how they gave me information on their case? That's because I've worked with them before. Well, me and Red. We've been doing this for a while now. I think that's what really got us on Ozpin's radar. The police tend to not ask too many questions about what we're doing, since we tend to help with criminals, and sometimes we find some leads they miss out on. So, we wouldn't exactly going in completely blind…"

"See!" Blake said, "There's a chance, at least! We need to take it before our enemies send it all crashing down around us who knows when!"

"I love it when you're feisty," Yang smirked at Blake, "I'm in."

"So am I, obviously," Blake said, regaining her composure.

"I suppose I'm in, too," Weiss sighed.

"Alright, let's hatch a plan!" Yang said.

"Alright!" Ruby cheered, before pausing. "I forgot my board game! Be right back!"

With that, she rushed out the door, only to slam into another person, causing Red to come to the fore on instinct.

"Apologies," Red said, "Wasn't looking."

"It's alright…" a green-haired girl said cautiously, her eyes betraying a sense of trepidation, "Just be more careful next time."

Red examined the two who she could immediately see as she helped herself to her feet. The girl had red eyes and seemed to be forcing a cheerful façade, which she suspected was due to Red, herself, and the boy was standing with a slight slouch to make himself smaller, while his hands were held in loosely clenched fists.

"Visiting students?" Red asked.

"From Haven, actually," a third voice said as a black-haired young woman with golden eyes joined them, "We're here for the festival."

"Wrong dorms," Red replied, "Simple mistake. East hall. Rest well."

With that, she walked off, leaving Emerald and Mercury to let out a slight sigh of relief while Cinder outwardly kept her composure. Internally, however Cinder was in a mixed state of panic and relief. On the one hand, she was unrecognized, which was good for her mission. On the other, That Girl was at Beacon, and it seemed that the fear she had felt that night was not a one-off thing. She was going to have to be careful when dealing with what was to come.

* * *

Elsewhere, Ozpin had finally made it to the Xiao Long household. While he was expected to call his office to inform Glynda of just that, he felt that punctually speaking to her and presumably James could wait for a while longer. He knocked on the door and was greeted by the sight of a completely sober Qrow Branwen who looked as if he hadn't slept in days.

"How is she?" Ozpin asked.

"She's hurting really bad, Oz," Qrow said, "That… thing they used on her… It messed her up badly. It's not pretty. Can you help her?"

"Possibly…" he said, "But we won't know until you take me to check up on her. Is she at least conscious?"

"She's awake," Qrow said, "She's even been talking to me and Tai ever since she got back to the house, and she's clearly fully aware of the world around her. But she hasn't been able to stand up at all and her Aura's not healing her. I even left the house for a couple hours to get my bad luck away from her, but she's not getting better. I don't even want to know what it would have done to her if I'd gotten there even a second later than I did."

"Then I should see her immediately," Ozpin said, "Take me to her."


	11. Chapter 11

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 11

Friendship and the Philosophical Ramifications Found There

I don't own RWBY. This chapter has one of many moments I've been looking forward to when I started this. I apologize for this being so late that it is already the next year.

"Alright," Ruby said when they returned to their dorm from class, "So, we all know what we've got to do and…" She paused. "Red says to get inside already, Sun and Neptune."'

As the two came in, Red took over and knocked on the wall loudly. "You four. Stop listening. Come. Now."

Once Team JNPR was in the room, Weiss asked, "How did you even…?"

"Heard them," Red said simply, "If willing to listen, able to help."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Blake asked, "If too many people get into this, there's a chance word would get out about this."

"Compartmentalize," she said simply, "Blake, take Sun with. Both Faunus. Won't be noticed. Yang, Neptune. Ren, Nora, Jaune, Pyrrha. How much overheard?"

"Just that you're going to do vigilante things," Jaune replied honestly, "Something about the White Fang, Roman Torchwick, his sidekick, and the thing on the docks."

"Sidekick?" Red asked in interest. Jaune once again found himself being the center of Red's focus, "Sidekick wasn't mentioned. What is known?"

"This can't ever leave this room. I've already had one problem caused by this last term." Jaune pleaded. At that, Weiss shut the door and Sun shut the window, before closing the curtains. Once it was secure, Jaune said, "My getting into Beacon wasn't… legal, per se. I got involved in some circles, circles that Torchwick and his gremlin frequented, too."

"Jaune, Pyrrha, shake branches," she demanded, "Look for your contacts. Weiss, with me. CCT. Ren, Nora, police station. Ask for Azul and Crimson. Say Ruby and Red sent to ask about Torchwick case. Show this." At that, she handed Ren a card that was a simple red card with their rose emblem on it. "Meet up where Yang is. Move out."

* * *

Red and Weiss were headed towards the CCT when Red said, "So beautiful…"

"You should see the one they have in Atlas," Weiss noted, "It's much larger."

"Knowledge stored within," Red said, "A relay across the world. The knowledge of kingdoms collected in one place, one hub of nearly-instantaneous communication. There is nothing that can equate."

"I'm going to take a picture!" Ruby said when she took over, reaching into her pocket to get her scroll.

Before she could, however, the scroll slipped from her grip and landed a few feet away, where a familiar orange-haired girl picked it up and smiled as she said, "You dropped this."

"Penny?" Ruby asked, causing the girl to stiffen at the recognition, "Where have you been? We haven't heard from you since the docks. We were worried about you."

"You must be mistaken, *hic*" she said, her hiccup causing the scroll to fly to Ruby, who quickly caught it, "I've got to go." With those words, she fled as quickly as she could.

"What just happened?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Ruby said, already beginning to pursue her, "Make your call! I'll meet you when I get back!"

As Penny continued to gain distance, Ruby continued along after her. Were anyone to be paying attention to her, they would have assumed she was arguing with herself.

"Weiss will be fine, Red," she said, "She's at the CCT. There's no way anything could happen to her there… Yes, I know she's our partner, but she's perfectly capable of doing things on her own… She's fine… Look, Penny might be in trouble. We need to see if she needs our help… Fine. Since you feel so strongly about it, we'll apologize to her later."

With that, she raced towards Penny, covering the ground between them.

"Penny, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I believe there is a misunderstanding," Penny said in a stilted manner that was distinctly different from the odd cadence she spoke with the last time they had seen one another.

"Penny, listen," she said, "We think the guys at the docks are planning something big. Something bad. Please, I need to know what happened to you after it was all over and done. As a friend."

Penny glanced nervously before whispering, "It isn't safe to talk here. Meet me at the cafe down the block."

With that, she walked away calmly, as if she hadn't a care in the world. Ruby headed in another direction, slowly making her way to where she'd be able to get to the place in question without anyone noticing.

* * *

In the CCT, meanwhile, Weiss was slowly making her way towards the communications station, where she was greeted by the holographic attendant.

"Welcome to the Beacon Cross-Continental Transmit Center. How may I help you?" she asked.

"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas," she said.

"Absolutely," the AI said, "If you could head to Terminal 3, I could patch you through."

"Thank you," Weiss replied, doing as the AI suggested.

"No problem!" she replied, before vanishing as Weiss passed the desk. Once she had taken a seat, the terminal lit up as Weiss forced a cheerful smile to her face

"Thank you for calling the Atlas—" the secretary began, before stopping and brightening up at the sight of Weiss on the other side of the connection, "Oh, Miss Schnee! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? Or would you prefer that I get one of the other shareholders on the line? I believe Mrs. Jasmine is currently in her office…"

"No thank you, Tawny," she replied, "I was just calling to see if you could pull up some files for me. I've got a list." Saying that, she attached her scroll to the port for it, allowing the two devices to connect.

"Some of these files are somewhat sensitive," Tawny noted carefully, pointedly not asking any questions.

"Then I'll be very careful with them," Weiss assured her, "They won't be going anywhere that would cause you any trouble."

"Very well," Tawny replied, "Sending them through… Are you sure you don't want to talk to your father or any of the shareholders?"

"I'm sure," Weiss said, "Thank you for your help, Tawny."

"Happy to be of assistance, Miss Schnee. Have a nice day."

"You, too."

With that, the call ended and the painted on smile faded from Weiss's face. It had gone well, but things could have been better on the whole. Detaching her scroll from the port, she did a brief scan of the files before giving the stock market a brief examination as she headed towards the elevator to get out of the communications station.

"Thank you for the assistance," she said as she passed the front desk of the room.

"You're most certainly welcome," the assistant said, "Thank you for using the CCT communications station. Have a wonderful day!"

* * *

Penny stood nervously at the cafe as she waited for Ruby to turn up. She nearly panicked when she felt a hand tap her shoulder, only to turn to see Ruby smiling helpfully at her. Offering a faint smile of her own, she nodded towards the sidewalk, indicating that they were going to walk as they conversed.

"To begin," Penny said, "I do not know anything about those men we encountered that night."

"Well, what happened to you?" she asked, "We were all together, then you were gone. Did you get kidnapped?"

"No! Nothing like that!" Penny protested, "My driver, Mr. Steel, had come to pick me up, and I had to rush in order to meet up with him. I wasn't supposed to go out, since it was my first time in a new kingdom. You must understand, my father loves me very much, but he can be a tad overprotective at times…"

"I know that feeling," Ruby commiserated, causing Penny to smile slightly, "But why not let us know that you were alright?"

"I… was asked… not to talk to you… or anyone else," Penny said slowly, deliberately.

"Was your father that upset?" Ruby asked.

"Not him…" Penny replied, only to pause at the sound of a rally of some sort happening.

"The AK130 has been the standard security model of Remnant for several years, and in that time they have been just fine, wouldn't you agree?" a recording of General Ironwood announced, standing between the machines in question, "But, Atlas is a kingdom of innovation, and 'just fine' isn't good enough." The containers behind the machines opened up, revealing much more elegant-looking robots. "Presenting the Atlesian Knight. Sleeker, quicker, and admittedly less scary… These machines will be protecting our borders within a year! But, sometimes, the battlefield requires a more… human touch. Presenting, the Atlesian Paladin!"

His hologram vanished as another, one of a large mechanical suit of armor that was armed to the teeth appeared in his place. Ruby stood transfixed, as Penny said, "Ruby, I believe we should go…"

It was at that moment that two Atlesian soldiers seemed to spot them, pointing in their direction. At that moment, Penny bolted, causing Ruby to glance behind them to see the two soldiers before immediately racing after Penny.

They darted around corners, Ruby desperately trying to keep up with Penny while still trying to stymie the efforts of the soldiers to the best of her abilities with the environment. Once Penny had gained a good deal of ground between herself and that soldiers, Ruby activated her Semblance and rushed towards Penny, grabbing her and launching them both forward in a stream of rose petals.

She winced in pain at the sensation as they flew onward, Penny feeling much, much heavier than she'd predicted, which threw her off entirely, causing her to slip through the air as she dropped Penny and crashed into the street.

As she barely regained her bearings, a massive truck barreled down the road and was on the verge of crushing her when Penny shoved her out of its path and stopped the truck dead.

There was no flash of Aura.

There was no sign of a Semblance being used.

There was no sign of anything of the sort.

There was only Penny, standing there with the truck stopped by her bare hands.

Ruby stared in awe and shock as Penny asked the driver, the proprietor of From Dust 'Til Dawn, "Are you okay?"

When he gave a grunt that indicated that he was, Penny immediately raced away, ignoring the crowd's whispers as she rushed to put some distance between herself and the scene.

Ruby quickly sprinted after her, following her into an alley that was a dead end.

"Penny," she pleaded, "Please tell me what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong, *hic*!" she replied, clearly lying, "I don't want to talk about it *hic*!"

"Penny, please! I'm your friend! I want to help you!"

"No! You wouldn't understand!" Penny protested.

"Please, just let me try…" Ruby pleaded gently.

Penny got in close to Ruby as she warily asked, "You promise that you're my friend?"

"Absolutely," Ruby said gently, placing a comforting hand on Penny's shoulder.

Penny halfheartedly shrugged the hand off and backed away slightly as she said, "Ruby… I'm not a real girl…"

At those words, she showed Ruby her hands, revealing metal underneath.

"Oh…" Ruby said slowly, "Penny… I don't understand…"

"Most girls are born," Penny explained slowly, with a slight smile, "But I was made. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura… I'm not… real…" At that final comment, the smile vanished from her face.

Taking Penny's hands in her own, Ruby smiled gently and ignored the jokes that Red was making at Ruby's expense as she said, "Of course you are. You think just because you have nut and bolts instead of squishy gut makes you any less real than me?"

"I… uh…" Penny said slowly, before leaning in close and saying, "You're taking this extraordinarily well…"

"Penny, I've got two souls in this body," Ruby replied gently, not releasing Penny's hands, "Two Auras, two minds, two Semblances, one body. Nothing about me makes any sense. Does that make me or Red any less real to you?"

"No," Penny said certainly.

"You're real, too, Penny," Ruby said, "You've got a heart and you have a soul. I can feel them both and I cherish knowing them both. Your body isn't your soul. It's just what you use to interact with the world. You're a beautiful soul traveling around in a body that just happens to be made of metal."

"Ruby, you're the best friend anyone could ever have!" Penny cheered as she engulfed Ruby in a tight, sudden hug.

"I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower," Ruby said as she tried to breathe.

"Oh, you would like him!" Penny said as she released her friend, "He is such a sweet man! He built me himself, and he has been visiting me while I'm here when he can get away from work!"

"He built you all by himself?" Ruby asked.

"Not entirely," Penny said, "He had help from Mister Ironwood."

"Is that why all the soldiers?" Ruby asked.

"They want to protect me, too!" Penny smiled.

"They don't think you can protect yourself?" Ruby asked in amusement at the idea.

"They don't think I'm ready yet. Mr. Ironwood says I'm going to save the world. But I still have a lot to learn, which is why my father let me go to the Vytal Tournament. I'm going to see the world and test myself in the tournament!"

"Save the world from what?" Ruby asked in confusion, "We're in a time of peace."

"That's not what Mr. Ironwood said," Penny replied slowly.

"I think she went down this way!" a soldier's voice called out.

"You have to hide!" Penny whispered, lifting Ruby up, "They're good people, really, they are, but I don't want you to get in trouble…"

With that, she deposited her in the nearby dumpster, before slowly lowering the lid. Before Ruby could say anything, she paused and said, "Just promise me you won't tell anyone my secret, okay?"

"I promise…" Ruby agreed.

With that, Penny lowered the lid and walked away. As she did so, Ruby raised it ever-so-slightly and peeked at the conversation she was having with the two soldiers.

"Salutations, officers!" she greeted.

"Penny, why were you running?" one asked.

"And where's that other girl?" the other asked.

"What other girl?" Penny replied, "I have been by myself all day… *hic.*"

"Are you hurt?" the first asked.

"Just a scratch," she replied, showing the places where the metal was exposed on her hands.

"You can't keep running off like this," the first said gently, "You know that your father worries about you."

"Come along," the second said in a tired, terse manner, "Let's get you back to your father."

Ruby smiled gently as Penny and the officers left, before climbing out of the dumpster and dusting herself off. Red, at that point, took it upon herself to tease her out loud as they switched control back and forth.

"Very fond…" Red smirked.

"Shut up," Ruby replied.

"Simply observing," Red shrugged "First non-weapon interest is weapon-person hybrid with soul."

"She's not a weapon," Ruby asserted, before narrowing her eyes sinisterly, "And do you really want to start a conversation on crushes?"

"Will stop for now."

"Thank you."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a humble cottage on the island of Patch, a maiden named Amber awoke from restless sleep to the sight of her boss and former Headmaster shakily drinking a mug of hot chocolate while her unofficially adoptive father and uncle were sitting beside him, staring at her with red eyes that showed that they had both failed to get any sleep.

What truly had her attention, however, was the fact that her father did not have his signature flask at all, not in his hand, and not strapped to his side.

"I did the best I could," Ozpin said, and she realized that he also looked much paler than usual, "And I managed to get your Aura to start healing you, but the scars on your face seem to be permanent, half of your Maiden powers are gone, and…" He paused.

"What, sir?" she asked, "I'm a big girl. I can take some bad news."

"The arrow that struck you did serious, permanent damage to your spinal column," he said, "If you do anything too strenuous, even using your powers, you could potentially be paralyzed for life…"

"So, what do we do now?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, "But what I am certain of is that we need to regroup. I'll contact Glynda. We'll video conference with her and James as soon as they're both free."


	12. Chapter 12

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 12

Intelligence Gathering and the Natural Results of the Use of Mechs

I don't own RWBY. Bonus points to whoever finds the quick reference hidden in here, as well as the more obvious literary reference.

"Alright," Jaune said carefully, pulling the hood of his usual hoodie up so that Pyrrha, who was the one wearing said hoodie, would have part of her face obscured in the shadows as they walked through an alleyway that was darker than it logically should have been at that time of day, "Remember, let me do the talking and keep your hood up. We don't want to draw any more attention than we have to. The guys in here are professionals and have a certain way of doing things."

He knocked on the door of what looked like a rundown old office in a distinct pattern. Four rapid knocks, a very brief pause, and three more rapid knocks, before a longer pause and a repetition of that same pattern. When the door opened, a mountain of a man with a wooden leg wearing a battered hat with a pink band on it greeted them.

"By the living thunder, it's good to see you lad!" the man greeted in a gruff voice, opening the door wide to let them in, giving Pyrrha a good view of what looked like a meticulously-run black market, "I'm guessing you're here on business. Well, you know we're always happy to help."

"It's good to see you too, Silver," Jaune replied with a nervous grin, "We were actually hoping you'd heard anything about Torchwick and his partner lately."

The few people who had been in the market at the time all paused.

"That bad?" Jaune asked as Pyrrha subtly readied to use her Semblance, only for the crowd to get back to what they were doing.

"No one has any idea what he's up to, these days," Silver said with a sigh, "Only thing we know is that something happened on the docks a while back, and apparently he's got an in with the White Fang. Things are going to spare with him not bein' active around here. Some of the smaller gangs are startin' to set up for turf wars. What did you need him for, anyway?"

"My friend here wanted to get somethings swiped from Beacon," Jaune replied, pulling out a few lien and a gold coin and passing them to Silver, "Somethings kinda hard to get to, even for people who go there. We wanted his partner to do a quick job for us. No one's got any sign of him other than that?"

"Afraid not," Silver replied, "If I did, I'd be givin' him a piece of my mind. What is it that you wanted to take, anyway."

"A locker, a mace, and Ozpin's mug," Jaune lied, "We were feeling kinda petty and vindictive."

"Ha!" Silver laughed, a deep, booming sound, "Your young lass is clearly a good influence on you!"

"We're not—I'm not…!" the pair stammered before opting for a blushing silence, which was covered by Silver's booming laugh.

"I'm just having fun with you," he said, "So, you want to find Torchwick or his little lady? I'll see what we can do, but I don't think their boss would be happy."

"They're doing a job for someone?" June asked.

"Some terrifying woman," Silver said, "Leastwise, that's what people are saying. Some nightmare woman with dark hair, a red dress, and literal fire coming out of her eyes."

"She what?" Pyrrha asked in shock, causing Jaune to turn in surprise. "Sorry…"

"Ah, don't worry about it, lass!" Silver exclaimed, "My reaction to that was about the same, but it's said that the corners of her eyes looked alight with an ungodly flame."

"Well, that's something to go on," Jaune said, "Maybe if we find her, we can figure out where they are."

"Best of luck, lad," Silver said, escorting them to the door, "If we hear tell of the pair, I'll get in contact, and you can lay hands to that."

"Thanks, Silver," Jaune said.

"'Twasn't a problem, lad," he said as a parrot flew to his shoulder, "Best of luck at your Huntsman school to the pair of you!"

"Thank you, sir," Pyrrha replied, her manners kicking in instinctively as Silver held the door open for them.

"'Sir,'" he chuckled, "Polite lass, you are. Take care of the lad, if you'd be so kind." He turned towards Jaune, an amused gleam in his eye as he said, "I'd recommend you stick close to your young lass, lad."

One the door was closed, Jaune pressed his finger to his lips and led her to walk in silence for a while, steering her down a different path from the one they had come in through. After they had walked for a while, he wrapped he let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist before whispering, "Going by how they normally do things, We're going to be followed a bit longer."

"I thought Mr. Silver was your friend," she whispered back, leaning against him in a way that left his sword ready for potentially being used.

"He's everyone's friend," Jaune agreed, "He's also they guy at the center of Vale's black market. He mostly wants to make sure we weren't wearing a wire or anything like that. He had to move places last time that happened."

"I'm guessing that you worked for him for a while?" she asked.

"Forging a Beacon transcript isn't exactly easy," he replied sheepishly, running his hand through his hair at the back of his head, "I had to learn how to do it right. I was also responsible for cleanup after closing and I sometimes helped with the bookkeeping. Silver gave me a few of his coins in case I needed a favor."

"I see," she said, before offering him a slight smirk, "And our current position?"

"Uh… It's a bit of a distraction," he said, once again turning red, "If they think we're headed out to get a coffee or something, Silver's guys will head off."

"Well, I think I could go for a coffee," she smiled, "Shall we go, then? There's a cafe around the corner…"

"That would be nice," he admitted, "Let's go, then."

* * *

Azul and Crimson were not sure what to make of the duo that had just entered the police station. The more excitable member of the pair had burst in and was looking around as if she were a secret agent in an action film, while the quieter one just gave the receptionist an apologetic nod before asking a question too softly for either detective to hear. The question was somewhat obvious when the receptionist pointed to their shared office.

The two detectives braced themselves for whatever was to come as the pair entered the office.

"Can we help you?" Crimson asked warily.

"We've got mutual friends that set us to get some information," the redhead said, handing them a red business card, facedown.

When Azul flipped it, revealing a very familiar rose emblem, the boy said, "Ruby and Red sent us to ask about the Torchwick case."

"Don't suppose she has any leads to share?" Azul asked with a mildly bemused chuckle as Crimson closed the door.

"Nothing we were told about," the boy said politely.

"I'm guessing that you guys don't have much to go on," the girl mused bluntly.

"Torchwick's as slippery as an eel, but this is different," Azul agreed, "He tends to be hard to track, but it's like he's vanished off the face of the earth. He hit all those Dust shops with people dressed like the White Fang, but it doesn't make any sense. No one's pushing the Dust around any of the usual places. There should be some sign that the stuff's being moved somewhere, but nothing."

"And then, there's the fact that the White Fang is working with a human," Crimson chimed in, "Neither of them are following their M.O.s. Something's gotta be up that we just aren't seeing."

"Cases like these are why we're grateful for our mutual friends," Azul remarked, "Fresh eyes usually go a long way, and she's the best consultant I've ever worked with, personally."

"Got a pen, some paper, and a camera?" Crimson asked, "We can't risk scrolls being used for this."

In response, Nora grinned at Ren and produced all of said items.

"And you said that we wouldn't need the camera…" she smirked.

"Remember," Azul chimed in, "None of this goes anywhere that it shouldn't. This is an active case. If the press hears anything about it, the arrangement's over."

"Understood," Ren acknowledged.

"So," Crimson said, "First thing's the map. These are the shops they hit. We tried to find a location by looking for a pattern, but the whole thing was like they were blindfolded with a dartboard, so…"

"We thought we had a lead, but the warehouse in question was empty, cobwebs and everything," Azul noted. "And now, suddenly, they're nowhere. They went off the grid and we can't find hide or hair of them."

"Once you've got the picture, we'll start on the case files for each one, starting with the ones we didn't even realize were related until we looked into it more," Crimson said. "We're not sure, but we think that he was hired by someone. Who? We aren't sure, but the two low-level thugs that did the heists that had the same M.O. were fished out of the water by a couple dockworkers the other day, shots to the back of the head execution style. The angle says that it was one person with two guns. They've been dead for longer than Torchwick's Dust heists have been going on. Guess their boss didn't think they were effective enough…"

"Anything on that boss of theirs?" Nora asked.

"Nothing except a complete lack of information," Azul replied, "Which means there's only one of three possibilities: They're imaginary, they're rich and powerful enough to make everyone underground from talking out of fear, or they're very careful about who knows about them."

* * *

Elsewhere, in a shady bar that could have been called a classy dive, another discussion was being had.

"Look, Blondie, if I knew, don't you think I'd tell you?" Junior, the owner of the establishment asked nervously as he was being held by his tie, "I don't know if you've noticed, but bar fights like the one you started get pricy, even with insurance. All I know is that Torchwick came to the bar the same night you did to hire some muscle, then next thing I know, I've lost a handful of my guys, probably either to the business end of his cane his cane or his little psycho woman's umbrella."

"Anything you can tell us about the gremlin, then?" Yang asked, releasing his tie.

"Gods only know," he replied, fixing the tie and rubbing his throat. "They both turned up one day, couple con artist teens, one with a low-class Atlesian accent, the other silent as the grave. No idea where they actually came from, but at some point, they wound up being the big names. Most of us figured they dropped out of the Academy or something, with how they do their thing. He does all the talking, and she does most of the fighting. Other than that, all I've got to go on is that they're apparently working with the White Fang, now and are so deep underground, the Devil probably has to look down to see them, so now there's a bunch of small gangs getting ready to fight for a slice of their turf. And that's a lot of ground to cover. No one's dumb enough to try to take my place, but the whole thing's a powder keg waiting for the match."

"Got anything else for us?" Yang pressed.

"Nothing," he answered, "Like I said, they haven't exactly been around lately. And nothing on what you were asking about last time's turned up either."

"You're one hundred percent on that?" she asked.

"Believe me, if I got word of her running around, I'd have told you," he replied.

"Alright then," she shrugged, clapping a hand on Neptune's shoulder, "Later, Junior. Come on, Neptune."

Once they had mounted the bike, she cut off the question he was going to ask by saying, "Before you ask, no you can't ask."

"Fair enough," he replied before another question came to mind, "Didn't your sister say that we were supposed to all meet up where you were."

"Shoot!" Yang exclaimed, "Alright, we'll just have to send a text when we get there."

"Get where?" Neptune asked, already horrified as she began to pick up speed.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out. 'Til then, hang on."

And with that, they were off again.

* * *

As she exited the CCT building, Weiss was surprised by the sight of a stream of rose petals flowing through the air as it barreled towards her, coming to a precise stop approximately two feet in front of her.

"Red demanded that we get back to you immediately and that I apologize for supposedly abandoning you," she explained.

"Well, you did ditch me," Weiss noted.

"For a good cause!" Ruby protested.

"Partner is Weiss," Red said flatly when she took over, "Takes priority."

"Hey! Penny did need our help," Ruby protested as Weiss felt emotional whiplash over the two sudden shifts.

"What's wrong with Penny?" Weiss asked, "Did she know anything?"

"Um… uh…" Ruby stammered, only for Red to take over.

"Emotional issues and overprotective father," Red replied, "Ruby helped. Enthusiastically."

"Speaking of Red and my _dear friends_ ," Ruby said with a smirk of which Weiss couldn't quite place the reason, "What've you been up to, Weiss?"

Deciding to table that for another time as she felt Red be brought to the fore, Weiss said, "I've got some files and I've been reviewing them while I waited for you two to get back. Some of these heists date back even further than we thought. Whoever they are, they're pulling Torchwick's strings."

"Pulling strings like nooses…" Red mused, reaching into the odd space she kept things in and revealing a plain calling card with hurried calligraphy on it.

"Who's 'N?'" Weiss asked.

"Wasn't entirely sure, initially" Red noted, "But suspicions confirmed. Torchwick's partner, Neopolitan. Met in the past, looking for someone. Long story. Skilled fighter. If scared and still going, they're stuck."

It was at that exact moment that they got a call on their scrolls.

"We need backup!" Blake said, "Torchwick's after us."

"He's in a giant robot!" Sun could be heard to shout as Ruby and Red switched again, Ruby growing an ever-widening grin, "Not like it ate him. Like, he's riding inside, controlling it!"

"I'm not missing this," Ruby said, "Let's move."

* * *

"I'm just saying!" Sun shouted as he and Blake continued to dodge Torchwick's mech, "Maybe we should have worn disguises that weren't masks."

"I'm wearing different clothes from when I was at the docks!" Blake replied, "You're wearing the exact same outfit! Do you even have other clothes?"

Torchwick's Paladin was distracted by a series of shots to the back long enough for them to stop, everything practically going silent before Sun said, "Alright. That's fair. A bit hurtful, but fair."

As Neptune struggled to maintain his position atop the mech, Sun used two of his clones to knock back the Paladin before readying his staff to strike. Torchwick, however, sent Neptune flying into him, sending both boys off of the highway.

"Weiss," Ruby commanded wordlessly, causing the heiress to use her glyphs to form a large circle of ice on the ground right where the Paladin was going to step. When the large metal leg slammed into the ground, it was not ready for the sudden loss of friction and plummeted over the edge in a separate direction from the two boys.

The four girls leapt down after it.

"Where's JNPR?" Yang pressed, "We could really use a supermagnet right about now."

"I just hit the last call I'd made, which was you three," Blake explained, "I was kinda busy."

At that moment, Torchwick's Paladin regained its footing.

"Any ideas, Red?" Weiss asked, recognizing which one was at the fore.

A silvery glint in her eyes was all that could be seen from the shadows within Red's hood as she said, "Ruby said Freezerburn."

With that, Weiss and Yang immediately performed the combination and formed a mist that blinded the Paladin's sensors as the four readied themselves for the fight.

Torchwick tried to find where the girls were, using the lasers on the various guns of the robot to try to place their locations, but to no avail. Then, suddenly, a sensor went off indicating that some damage occurred at one of the legs.

Blake's hit and run attacks began to blur together as she systematically attacked various sections of the legs in an attempt to find a weak point to exploit.

Weiss felt herself scooped up as a swarm of rose petals moved her towards one of the main guns, which she promptly ran Myrtenaster through before she retreated, the stream of petals continuing onward as Ruby and Blake continued picking at its exterior.

As Torchwick focused on the pair, he slowly realized that he had completely forgotten two particular participants. Quickly, he began to try to turn to find them, only to see something that made his blood run cold.

A floating torso. Arms that held a massive sword. A helmet with no face within it. And all of it made of ice with an ethereal glow.

A singular swing of its colossal sword was enough to remove an arm before it vanished, leaving another unearthly mist.

Then there was a sudden attack on the top of the Paladin as Yang attempted to destroy the shielding on the top to tear him out of the machine. Grunting in frustration, he slammed into a support column, knocking Yang off before the machine punched her out of the air, causing her to land yards away.

"Yang!" Blake exclaimed in horror.

"Bad move," Red said mockingly, her silver eyes sparkling like mad from behind her now-present mask, "Very bad move, Torchwick."

Yang rose, her hair blazing with golden fire as her eyes took on a blood-red hue. She rushed towards the mech and, as it swung to punch her again, her fist met the attack and the steel yielded to a blow from a power that was even greater than its own, the arm shattering. Torchwick made the mech back away avoiding Yang's attacks.

"'Bumblebee,' Ruby said," Red commented, causing the pair to make their formation.

As Blake swung Yang on the ribbon, Torchwick continued to avoid the attacks.

"We need to stop him from moving!" Weiss said, only to turn to see Red grinning as she reached into her cloak.

"Remember Ice Flower?" she asked, pulling out a familiar box and tripod.

Weiss grinned, "Red, if this works, you're a genius."

Red wordlessly pulled the front of her hood down slightly more over her already-masked face as she set up.

Once again, Torchwick realized he'd forgotten to keep track of his enemies, but it was too late by that point. Weiss had formed a large glyph using Ice Dust in front of the five-minigun box as Red fired round after round after round at the mech's legs until it was practically submerged from the 'waist' down in a practical mountain of ice.

And that was when Yang's fist connected and the Paladin was obliterated, sending Torchwick flying. As he picked himself up and dusted himself off, Yang let a single round fly, only for it to be intercepted by a pink parasol that looked none the worse for wear.

Standing behind his partner, Torchwick said, "Ladies. Ice Queen. First, I'm going to make a guess and say… you're Ruby?"

Weiss let out a shout of protest as Red said, "Red. Not Ruby."

"How on Earth am I supposed to remember that?" he complained, "You have the same face!" He adjusted his ascot, trying to recapture the moment, "Always a pleasure, you four. Neo? If you'd be so kind?"

Neo, for her part, gave a theatrical bow, only for her smile to falter at Red holding the card up for the two thieves to see. Quickly, she simply raised a finger to her lips as Yang advanced on them, punching at the smaller of the duo before everything before them shattered like glass. Looking around quickly, the team saw the pair standing in the port of a Bullhead as it shut, flying away with the duo.

"I guess she made our plan fall to pieces," Weiss offered.

"No," Yang said flatly, "There's a time and a place for jokes."

"And this wasn't one?" Weiss demanded.

"Nah, it just wasn't a good one," Yang teased.

"At least I'm trying!" Weiss protested.

Red, in response, placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and said, "Thought it was funny."

"Thanks, Red," Weiss sighed, before Red released her shoulder and began to grab pieces off of the Paladin. "What are you doing?"

"Scavenging," Red replied, shoving large guns and other components into whatever she kept things in. "Could be useful."

"Fair enough," Weiss said, before pausing, "Where did Sun and Neptune go?"

* * *

Meanwhile, at a noodle stand, Neptune turned towards Sun.

"They're probably fine, right?" he asked.

"Probably," Sun agreed.


	13. Chapter 13

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 13

Thought on the Subject of Romantic Entanglements and Dealing Under the Table

I don't own RWBY. As of now, the plot has finally reached a point where things are legitimately going to take irreversible turns.

After the demonstration fights in Glynda Goodwitch's class, both ending in Pyrrha's favor with the former humiliatingly so for Team CRDL and the latter by the forfeiture of Mercury Black, as everyone was about to leave, Professor Goodwitch surprised everyone by saying, "Miss Rose, I would like to speak with you privately." The rest of the students in the room that were not Team RWBY or JNPR seemed to sigh in relief at Red being kept back, with even Emerald and Mercury feeling as if they were granted a reprieve from the sensation of horror that accompanied the hooded girl everywhere she went.

They were, to their misfortune, unaware that the reason she came across as such at all times was because they had only ever seen her in classroom settings.

Nevertheless, they were caught off-guard when said girl's sister decided to speak with them.

"Hey!" she shouted, "You two, wait up!"

Turning slowly, the pair put on the masks of friendly, but cocky Haven Academy students.

"What's up?" Emerald asked.

"It's about you, actually," Yang noted, pointing at Mercury, confusing the pair.

"Me?" he asked.

"You know that they're slightly too big, right?"

"What?" he asked.

"Your legs," she replied, "It's harder to work with them when they're slightly bigger than the limbs they're attached to, and they kinda… slide? I'm guessing you've noticed a bit of scraping…"

He paused at that, looking at her in genuine confusion. "They aren't supposed to do that?"

"Gods, no," Yang said, "Having your guns built into them probably doesn't help things, either. I'd suggest you talk to Professor Peach about using the lab to fix them up a bit. You could probably use some shock absorbers in there, too."

"We'll keep that in mind," Emerald said, "We've got some free time, so we can go pop by that lab, if you can give some directions."

Yang helpfully obliged and Emerald promptly grabbed Mercury by the upper arm and dragged him off in that direction.

Once they were completely alone and in a blind spot by the lab, she turned on him and demanded, "Have you really been getting your legs torn up by your prosthetics?"

"They weren't getting 'torn up,'" he protested, "It's just some cuts and scrapes."

"Is that why you take so long in the bathroom?"

"Just let it go," he said, "I'm going to fix them anyway, so it doesn't matter and Cinder doesn't need to know about it."

"Why not?" she asked, "You could have told her when you first started using them."

"Because that would have gone great," he replied sarcastically, "'Gee, thanks for giving me a job to do and the promise of living a better life. By the way, these things are actually slicing up my legs, so I'll probably be a liability at some point.' I'd have been dead or back where you guys found me so fast that it wouldn't have even been funny."

"She could have had that guy fix them for you," "The one with the mustache she'd talked to back at Haven."

"'Could,'" he agreed, "But she wouldn't have. We both know that it wasn't my winning personality that made her decide to take me with you two. She needed my skills and if I weren't up to it, she wouldn't have bothered. Just because my dad was who he was doesn't mean that there weren't others out there she could have used instead of me. I'm not dumb enough to try my chances with her. So, she doesn't need to know about something that I'm fixing up, now."

Emerald stared at him silently for a moment, before finally saying, "Fine. I won't go and tell Cinder, but you really need to have more faith. She cares about us."

Mercury pointedly said nothing in response to that.

* * *

As this had been going on, Glynda Goodwitch and Red and RubyRose were having a discussion, Red at the front.

"Miss Rose," Glynda said, forcefully pushing past the unease that the girl instilled as easily as breathing, "We had, some time back, received reports of rose petals and ice as well as what rumors say looked like an Atlesian Paladin, followed by a Bullhead that appeared in the same general area, and then vanished. And then, the Paladin apparently disappeared at some point around that time. We both wanted to know: Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"Torchwick," she replied simply, "Ran into him again."

"And would this happen to involve your having stumbled across him at the docks?" a familiar voice asked, the voice coming from Glynda's desk. Wordlessly, the Deputy Headmistress approached the desk and picked up a large scroll from her desk, holding it so that the Headmaster, seated in a strangely familiar armchair somewhere else, could be seen.

He looked somewhat haggard and as if he hadn't slept in some time, with his cane looking as if it were the only thing keeping him upright at all.

"Alright, Professor?" Red asked.

"It's nothing I haven't dealt with in the past," he said, "But, we need to stay on topic. Do you have anything you'd like to mention."

Red internally debated with Ruby for some time both trying to decide just how much they wanted to tell Ozpin. Finally, the pair shifted, lessening Glynda's level of concern to its usual amounts.

"We don't have much," Ruby said slowly, "But we know that he has an assistant. And a boss."

"If there's an employer, then there has to be a purpose…" Glynda noted.

"Was there anything else, Ruby?" Ozpin asked.

"Nothing that isn't in police reports," she replied.

"I see…" he murmured, before glancing off to the side, "I'm afraid that I have something urgent that requires my attention here, so I will have to end our chat here. If you find out anything, anything at all that you think could help, please, let us know."

"Yes, sir," she said, before he reached for the scroll on his end and closed the call.

"I just have a few more questions before you may leave, Miss Rose," Glynda noted.

"Yes, ma'am?" she asked.

"What was your team's reasoning for getting off of the bridge in that battle?"

"He was throwing cars, Professor," she replied, "We wanted to make sure that people weren't hurt by the fight. After that, we successfully took down the Paladin."

"Good answer," she replied, "Now, do you know what happened to the machine in question? General Ironwood noted that parts of it were not found for retrieval."

Ruby didn't even flinch. "If no one can find it, I'm guessing someone took it for parts."

"I see…" she replied, "I'd like to note that, while the Paladin, itself, is Atlesian property, the technology used to design several of its components are based off of technology used by Huntsmen and Huntresses for various weapons. I suspect that whoever took the weapons would find Professor Peach willing to offer the use of a private lab in exchange for the right to look at any notes on the subject. That will be all, Miss Rose. You are both free to go."

Ironwood had told her that the weapons weren't a pressing concern when it came to threat levels without the machinery to operate them and she had seen the schematics. Since the team had deliberately avoided creating more collateral damage and went out of their way to get the fight away from civilians, she felt that she could turn a blind eye just this once.

* * *

"I'll tell you what," Jaune said encouragingly, "If no guys have asked you out by the time the dance comes around, I'll personally go onto that dance floor in a dress."

"You don't need to…" she began, only for him to cut her off.

"Nope. The bet's been made."

Minutes after she had left, he realized just what he had said.

"Well, Jaune, you definitely screwed that one up," he muttered, "Now you can't ask her out without it looking like you don't want to lose the bet and wind up looking ridiculous. How can I fix this? Best bet? Do something stupid that will make sure I look ridiculous, ask her, then wear the dress regardless to further illustrate the point. But what could I do?"

* * *

Ruby entered the Team RWBY dorm, only to be greeted by her teammates all mobbing her.

"What did she want?" they all asked in what was almost perfect unison.

"She and Ozpin wanted to know about what happened with the Paladin," she explained.

"Ozpin's back?" Yang asked.

"No," she replied, "He called on a big scroll and Professor Goodwitch held it wile the three of us talked."

"What did you tell them?" Blake asked.

"Just that he had an assistant and a boss," she replied, "Nothing about our investigations…"

"Is there anything else we should know about?" Weiss asked, taking out her scroll and going through the stock market once again.

"Pretty sure Professor Goodwitch knows about the parts I took, but it seems like she's letting me keep them. For now, at least."

"Alright," Yang said before checking her e-mail on her scroll, "By the way, we've been drafted."

"For what?"

"We're going to be the ones putting together the party's decor, since Team CVFY's still out on assignment."

"Neat!" She paused, clearly listening to Red. "Really? You're sure you want to? I mean… Alright, alright." She turned towards Weiss directly, "Speaking of the party, Red wants to ask you something, Weiss."

"Alright…" Weiss replied, clearly not sure what this was about.

As everyone felt their own personal fears pushing against the back of their minds, Red pulled down her hood, but not her mask, covering her eyes, yet still clearly staring at Weiss as she did so.

"Yang, Blake, please leave," Red requested, "Conversation private…"

"Sure thing, Red," Yang replied.

"I was about to leave anyway," Blake said, "I'm going to look into what we've got on Torchwick some more. Someone needs to."

With that, Blake immediately rushed out of the room.

"She's been doing that a lot, lately," Weiss noted.

"Hasn't been sleeping," Red chimed in. "Keeps running through notes."

"I'll go talk to her," Yang said, heading through the still-open door, only to pause. "You know those strings are out of tune, right Jaune?"

"Incredibly so," he agreed cheerfully, "Is Weiss there? I need her help with something?"

"Give them a minute," Yang said, closing the door, "You can try asking after."

Jaune stared blankly before a grin formed on his face, "That would be perfect for what I've got planned!"

"…You do you, Jaune," Yang said after a moment of silence. With that, she headed off in pursuit of Blake.

In the dorm, as all of this was happening, Weiss asked, "So, what did you want to talk about, Red?"

Fidgeting with the edge of her hood, Red asked, "Partner… like to go to the dance? Together?"

"Sure. As partners?" Weiss asked.

"If preferred," Red replied hesitantly.

It took Weiss a moment, but she figured it out. "Oh."

The pair were silent for a while, with Red being the one to break it. "Can simply be partners at dance."

"No," Weiss said, before thinking of how it could be interpreted, "I mean, 'I'm willing to go as your date.' We'll see what happens from there. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't occasionally thought of it…"

She was surprised when Red gave her a tight hug. "Will not disappoint."

Regaining her bearings, Weiss smiled slightly as she returned the hug and said, "Well, let's see what it is that Jaune's planning with an untuned guitar…"

When she opened the door, Jaune looked at the pair before saying, "You're going as each other's dates! Perfect! Weiss, I need you to help me make myself out to look like a complete, utter idiot."

"…If there are gods, they're just handing me things on a silver platter today," Weiss noted, "Proceed, but know that I had to resist my base instincts when you just handed me the easiest setup for a scathing punchline."

"Noted," he replied, "Now, I'm going to fake asking you out and you need to very deliberately turn me down in a way that makes me look like an absolute moron."

"…Why?" she asked.

"That doesn't matter, right now," he waved aside, before forcing down the terror in his heart to continue with whatever it was that he had planned, "Red, I'm going to need you to record it."

"Will have no part in this nonsense," Red said plainly.

"Fine, but at least act as though you're witnessing someone doing something absolutely stupid."

He began to strum the guitar, producing tortured notes, only for Red to withdraw bolt cutters.

"Oh, god! That strange old woman at the carnival's bizarre prediction was right!" Jaune shouted, "Please don't cut off my thumbs for my crimes against music!"

"Cost per string?" Red asked flatly.

"…Oh," he offered meekly, "They're pretty cheap. I got them for about two lien where I usually go to get strings."

Reaching into her cloak, Red pulled out a wallet, took out two lien and handed them to Jaune, before taking the bolt cutters and slicing through all of the strings in one go.

"What mistake?" she asked pointedly.

"I may have made a bet with Pyrrha that would make me trying to ask her out come off as me trying to get out of having to fulfill my end of a bet we made."

"Will fix," Red said, causing him to freeze in horror that had less to do with her fear sensation than usual.

"What are you planning on doing?" he asked worriedly.

"My best," Red replied confidently, "Have solid plan. Come in. Will discuss."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another dorm, a different conversation was concluding.

"I hate waiting," Mercury sighed.

"Speaking of waiting…" Cinder said, "You two were late in getting back. Care to explain." As Mercury went rigid, Cinder turned her gaze towards the other party in the room, "Emerald, where, exactly, were you two earlier?"

"We were in one of the labs," she said, seeing Mercury twitch slightly at that.

"And why was that?" she pressed.

"Mercury thought he could make the guns on his legs stronger," Emerald lied easily, "He wound up sending himself to the floor when he tried testing out the stronger recoil. It was hilarious. I should've taken a picture."

"Don't do anything like that without letting me know first," Cinder said, "We're too close to let even the slightest slipup happen. Do I make myself clear?"

"Very," he replied nervously.

"Good," she said, "Now, brighten up. We've got big plans for this weekend…"

* * *

On a small island in Patch, there was a humble cottage, where a very serious conversation was happening.

"I don't think this is the best idea at the moment, Amber," Ozpin said, "We'd have to transport you to Beacon in the middle of the most well-publicized festival in all of the Kingdoms."

"I'm going to have to agree with Professor Ozpin," Taiyang noted, having gotten back from the post office hours ago before getting involved in this conversation, "Why don't we see about bringing him here?"

"Uncle Tai, he's so wrapped up in whatever it is they've got him doing that moving him from Beacon to here would catch more attention than me moving there," Amber said, before turning towards Ozpin, "And as for getting me in, sir, I'm pretty sure you're going to have a pretty empty Academy for a little while? What's one Bullhead flying in when General Ironwood's there and there aren't that many little Huntresses and Hunters running around? Dad, back me up."

"You'd have to be cooped up in his office most of the time," Qrow noted, "There'll be cameras pretty much everywhere, so you'd have to stick around where they wouldn't be, so we can be sure that the ones who got to you won't find you and try to finish what they'd started."

"That wasn't a 'no,'" she noted.

"It could help if you also had Oobleck give her a checkup before she tried talking to him," he said to Ozpin, "And, injury or not, she is a fully-licensed Huntress. She's capable of deciding what's best for her."

Ozpin sighed before saying, "Alright. I'll start with the setup, and we'll be coming in while the students are shadowing Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"I'll get in touch with the Professor," Tai noted, "See if he'll be able to help in any way."

"Looks like we're going to Beacon, Amber," Qrow said.

"We?" she asked.

"You need someone to take care of you," he replied cheerfully, "Otherwise, you'll probably be on cameras all over Remnant."

"Beacon, here we come," Amber said determinedly.


	14. Chapter 14

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 14

Of Necessities and the Ramifications of the Butterfly Effect.

I don't own RWBY. Finished this one last night and figured that I'd post it a day early, given that I've posted a day late a couple times in the past.

Blake was in the library, poring over the notes that they had on Torchwick, the White Fang, the Dust shipments, and every minute detail, trying to find something, anything, that could help her figure out what they were planning, why they were working together, what the endgame was. And the most terrifying thought of all: What if…?

Her thoughts were cut off by the sight of a red dot dancing amidst the information. She tried to ignore it, tried to find a way to keep her attention from going anywhere but the information, but whoever was behind the laser pointer clearly knew just how to make a nuisance of themself, as they kept successfully bringing her attention to the laser. Finally, sighing in frustration, she got up and began to follow the laser to wherever the owner was trying to lead her.

When she found the source, she was only mildly surprised to see Yang with the pointer finger of her mechanical hand extended while her thumb pressed down on the side of the hand. The space to where she was pointing, meanwhile, was occupied by the red dot of a laser, confirming her suspicions.

"What?" she asked irritably, narrowing her eyes, before shaking her head and blinking rapidly when they tried to shut on her.

"Not here," Yang said seriously, "Let's go somewhere a bit more private for this."

Unable to think of a response to get her to go away, Blake nodded, silently following Yang as she led her to an empty classroom.

Once they were there, Yang shut the door behind her, taking Blake's hands in her own as she led her to the lector's table and sat down on it.

"So, what's so important that…" Blake began, only to be cut off.

"Blake, sit down before you fall down," Yang said in a soft voice, concern obvious in her tone, "Please."

Blake didn't want to sit down. She wanted to leave to go back to researching, yet, looking at Yang, her eyes filled with genuine worry, she half-acquiesced, leaning against the table, which seemed to be enough for Yang, who let out of soft sigh of relief that, were she not a faunus, Blake would have missed entirely.

"Blake…" Yang began slowly, "We've all been getting worried about you. You're not sleeping, you're barely eating, and you're basically falling to pieces doing nothing but going over what we've gathered on the White Fang and Torchwick."

"Someone needs to be looking for something that could help us figure it all out," Blake retorted, "Everyone's been so busy with that dance tomorrow that nothing's would get done otherwise."

"Blake, You're going to get yourself killed if you keep this up," Yang stated firmly before softly adding, "Trust me. I know what I'm talking about."

"You're overreacting," Blake replied just as firmly, locking eyes with her partner, "The important thing is finding Torchwick and putting a stop to him and the White Fang's activities. No one else seems to be getting that."

She had not expected the unmistakable sound of Yang's arm being detached, which caused her to break eye contact just in time to see Yang holding her arm in her hand, gesturing at Blake with it as she said, "I need you to listen to me. I uh… I haven't told this to anyone before."

"You don't have to…" Blake began gently, only to once again find herself cut off.

"I really do," Yang said tiredly, placing the arm on the table, "I'm going to tell you about when I first met Red."

"What?" Blake asked in confusion. She had thought that this was going to be the story of how Yang had lost her arm. "I thought that she and Ruby were your sisters?"

"They are," Yang said, "Red, though… She didn't first show up until a couple years after Ruby was born…

"When we were little, Ruby and I had our dad, Taiyang, and our mom, Summer Rose. She was basically Supermom, baker of cookies and slayer of monsters. One day, she went out on a mission and… she didn't come back. We all took it hard, but dad… He just sorta started going through the motions. He still took care of us, still tried to make sure we had everything we needed, but he just wasn't himself. Ruby, though? Ruby was always marching to the beat of her own drum, talking to herself and just off in her own little world, but when mom died, she started acting weird.

"She started talking to herself more and more," she explained, "And sometimes, she just get cold. Really cold, to the point that it could be a warm spring day and she'd just start shivering a little. She needed a lot more attention, so I started making sure she was doing alright. I made sure she got extra with our breakfast, lunch, and dinner, made her cookies from time to time, and whenever she was having one of those days, I'd try to make sure that she had an extra blanket and I'd tell her some of the stories mom used to tell us. I tried, but it just wasn't enough…

Yang paused, seeming to be trying to find the right words. "There was a reason that our dad had basically shut down," she said, "Our parents were on a team. Our dad, our mom, our uncle… and one more person. You see, Summer wasn't the first love Dad had lost. The first was my mother, the woman who gave birth to me. One day, she left and never came back…"

"Why did she leave?" Blake asked gently.

"That's the question that kept me up so many nights," Yang said, rising from her seat and taking a piece of chalk to the board, "I wanted to know why she'd left us, so I started asking around for any information I could find. No one had any word of her or where she went. Then, one day, I found something. I thought it was a clue, something that could help me find my mom… So, I waited until Dad had to go to work, loaded Ruby into a wagon, and headed out to find her.

"We went a long way, further than we'd ever gone. Ruby had stopped talking to herself and I thought she was asleep. I was exhausted, covered in cuts and scrapes, but none of that mattered to me. We'd finally made it. And then… Those red eyes… We were a toddler and a dumb little girl who didn't even have the energy to scream. We would have been easy pickings and I kept thinking that it was all my fault. But the Grimm were acting weird. They started getting antsy, though, as if they were on the verge of panicking. Even with that, a Nevermore showed up and lunged for Ruby. I had a rush of adrenaline kick in and I got her out of the way but…" She put down the chalk and ran her hand along the connector for her arm. "Well, you get the picture.

"That was when I met Red. Suddenly, the Grimm were less scary than what I was feeling at that exact moment. I turned to see Ruby was fine, but she wasn't Ruby. Her eyes were glowing the way that Red's eyes glow and she suddenly had a sickle that she used to slice its eyes when it circled back, which got it to back off. Before that day, I'd never even heard of Grimm cowering, but there they all were, flinching away from her. That was when our uncle showed up, tearing through the Grimm as fast as he could just to get to us. He used part of his cape to wrap my cut and the rest is history. If not for him, then Ruby, Red, and I might not have made it back."

"Yang, I'm sorry," Blake said gently, "But I'm not going to stop looking into this."

"Don't," Yang said, reattaching her arm, "I don't want you to quit. I haven't. I'm still looking for something, anything that can tell me anything about my mom. But if you don't take a break, you'll burn yourself out and get yourself into more trouble than you can handle."

"I can't afford a luxury like that," she said shortly, rising to her feet.

"It's not a luxury," she replied, "It's a necessity."

"I'm not a little kid, Yang," she retorted, her fatigue, fear, and frustration finally pushing its entirety to the fore, "I need to figure this out because no one else can or will!"

"And if you don't get rest, you'll just get yourself hurt!" Yang said as she unconsciously activated her Semblance, pushing Blake into the table with her left hand, "What do you think would happen if Torchwick or his henchwoman showed up in here?"

"I'd fight them!"

"You'd lose!" Yang shouted back, pushing her back again.

"I can handle them!"

"You can't even stop me using one hand!" Yang replied, pushing her again.

Blake got up again and saw Yang moving closer, her eyes still red. She tensed up, making herself a smaller target while raising her arms, only to be shocked as Yang wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug, her Semblance deactivated.

"Please, Blake," Yang said softly, her voice barely a whisper, her words meant only for Blake's ears, "I'm not asking you to stop. Just please get some rest. If not for yourself, for the people you care about."

She released the hug and pulled back, her hands trailing down Blakes arms slowly before stopping at her hands for a brief moment. When she broke contact, she slowly walked away, leaving Blake to process what had just happened as her eyes trailed behind her partner's retreating form.

"And if you do decide to go to the party tomorrow," Yang noted sweetly, "I'll save you a dance."

With those words and a wink, she left Blake to think on it all, leaving the choice entirely up to Blake.

* * *

To say that Pyrrha was confused would have been an understatement of colossal proportions. Pyrrha Nikos was utterly baffled. Jaune was racing around the dorms and the common room like a maniac with the devil behind him. That he was being chased by Red answered one question, yet raised more.

After Jaune had passed the Team JNPR dorm yet again, Pyrrha fought back the all-encompassing sense of loneliness that Red caused as naturally as breathing and placed her arm in front of the girl, causing her to stop.

"Red?" she began.

"Pyrrha," Red replied cordially, waiting for her to speak.

"What are you doing with Jaune?"

"Hunting," Red replied, sounding as if she were simply talking about the weather.

"Why?" she asked. She was certain that whatever the answer, it was going to be an interesting one, at the very least.

"Sport."

That one was surprising.

"You're… hunting him… for sport?" Pyrrha asked, not certain that she understood.

"Partly," Red replied, "Partly for attention."

"What did you need attention for?" she asked as Weiss raced past with Myrtenaster and what appeared to be a net gun.

"Discussion with you," she replied, "Jaune had elaborate plan. Was stupid. Cutting out unnecessary steps. Replacing with own. Plan had more steps. Rubber duck would have been involved, but plan scuttled by earlier questioning."

"What?" she asked, at a complete loss for words.

"Jaune had a plan that Red thought was idiotic," Weiss said, dragging a netted Jaune behind her without any strain as she approached the red duo that was also a trio, "He wanted to make a fool of himself for reasons he'll explain in private."

"Do I even weigh anything to you?" Jaune asked.

"If we're being honest, you're lighter than you look, but heavier than I expected," she replied, before handing the net gun, which the net was attached to, to Pyrrha, looking the redhead in the eye as she said, "I believe this belongs to you."

Pyrrha could feel her cheeks heating up, but she took the net gun and said, "Thank you." Turning towards Red, she asked, "How do I…?"

"Lever where safety is on handgun," Red replied. "Push, then pull."

"Thank you." Pyrrha did as Red instructed and, in a blur of motion, Jaune was released from his titanium mesh prison, at which point, Pyrrha handed Red the net gun and helped Jaune to his feet.

"Work here is done," Red noted, putting some sort of miniature gas canister inside of the base of the net gun.

"Can I keep the net gun?" Weiss asked, "I like the weight and the utility."

Red handed it to her, before saying, "Reminds me. Have team gifts. Remind to give later."

When the pair returned to their dorm, Pyrrha led Jaune into the JNPR dorm and shut the door behind her softly. "So…" she asked carefully, "What was this plan of yours to make yourself look foolish?"

"My plan was to publicly ask Weiss out poorly with a badly-tuned guitar so that I would make a complete and utter idiot of myself," he explained, "Because I wanted to make a point to you."

"What point was that?" she asked, completely thrown off-balance yet again.

"The whole plan was to get Weiss to publicly destroy me after the disastrous attempt so that you could understand that I wasn't going to ask you out so that I didn't have to wear a dress," he said, not noticing her shock, "I had planned on asking you to the dance earlier, but then I made that bet and thought you'd think that I was doing it to get out of the bet. I didn't want you to think that I was asking you for that reason, so I was going to humiliate myself, then go to the dance in a dress regardless."

"You… were going to ask me?" she echoed, stuck on that point more than she was on the plan, itself.

"Well, yeah," he replied, and she could see a slight blush dusting his cheeks, "I mean, you're my partner, my mentor and, most of all, you're my best friend. There's no one I'd rather go with. Making the bet was me running my mouth without thinking of how it could sound until after the fact. So, Pyrrha, would you go to the dance with me?"

"I'd love to," she replied with a wide smile on her face.

"Great!" he cheered, "No, I've got to talk to Silver about a dress. What kind are you getting? I don't want our dresses to clash."

"What?" she asked, "Jaune, you don't have to…"

"Too late!" he replied, "I've made up my mind. So that you don't even entertain the idea that this is me trying to get out of the bet, I'm wearing a dress to the dance and no one can stop me."

* * *

"And five, four, three, two, one…" said the white haired man in the pristine lab coat, before a series of mechanical clocks went off in unison, playing a wound-up orchestra. "Bravissimo!" he cheered, before hearing a knock on his door. Given how loud the knock was, he smiled cheerfully before saying, "The door is open!"

"Salutations, Father!" Penny said with a bright smile on her face.

"Salutations, daughter!" he greeted just as enthusiastically, "And how has your day been?"

"It has been sensational, Father!" she replied, "I learned that there is going to be a party tomorrow! May I please go?"

He paused in thought. Complex calculations were his specialty, and he needed to be certain that his precious daughter would be alright. He still resented that James had managed to bring his daughter into the military the way he had. So, it fell to him to keep her well-being in mind. He ran the numbers, though he suspected that she had done the same before coming to his makeshift office. One particular variable had his attention, however.

"I presume that Taiyang's daughters will be there?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye, "I recall you offering glowing praise when it came to Ruby Rose, in particular."

"She had not factored into my calculations. *hic*" Penny said.

To this day, he wasn't sure why she hiccoughed when she lied. There was nothing in her core programming that caused it, and he knew for a fact that she hadn't learned it from anyone. He supposed that it was probably one of those little things that happens. He suddenly remembered that she asked him for something.

"You can go to the party, if you wish, Penny," he said with a slight chuckle, "But do take your guards with you. I'm sure that Steel and Stahl could probably benefit from being exposed to fresh air once again. If you take your partner with you and claim that this is so that you can learn more about human interactions, you might even be able to get Ironwood to let you go."

"What about my other teammates, Father?" she asked.

"They haven't been given leave, yet," he answered honestly, "Miss Soleil has, and she is the one Ironwood personally appointed to you." He paused as a thought came to mind. "Now, how about we make sure that your swords are still in one piece. I know that Ironwood has been having you run some training drills today. After that, we'll both go to Ironwood's office and tell him that you are going to that dance, and then, after that, we will find you the greatest dress that suits you that we can find!"

"Yes, Father!" she replied, a smile on her face as she presented her weapons. Even if Ciel would definitely not enjoy it, Penny was looking forward to attending her first party and seeing her first and best friend once more.


	15. Chapter 15

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 15

Concerning Dancing and the Theater Electric

I don't own RWBY. Time for things to really start going off-kilter. Also, Jaune's outfit was changed because that dress was an eyesore. My apologies for being two days late.

"Absolutely not," Ciel Soleil stated flatly, not looking up from the pocket watch she was in the process of repairing, "I am not going out to waste valuable time on pointless frivolities. Ask one of the others to go with you." She gestured at the pair who were either sleeping or absolutely engrossed in a worn copy of The Man with Two Souls before returning to her work.

"I cannot," Penny replied, pacing the room allotted to Team PICH (Pitch), "You are the only teammate I have that has completed all of the necessary paperwork. Please agree to come with me so that I can present Mr. Ironwood with someone who will be able to ostensibly keep an eye on me. As you are my partner, he would be more amenable to the situation."

Ciel counted backwards from ten under her breath in Old Mistralian, "Penny, in the short time we have known each other, you've caused me more stress than training under Specialist Schnee ever did." The sound of something heavy being dropped in the room adjacent to theirs caused her to jolt, knocking the components that she had just set back into place out of their positions. "Shoot!"

"If I repair your pocket watch, will you agree?" Penny asked suddenly, causing Ciel to pause. After a moment's thought, she determined that even Penny couldn't break the pieces, and she had seen the footage that showed her destructive capabilities displayed at the docks.

"You get one try," she said, "If you don't manage to get it, you'll stop asking."

"It's a deal!"

This got the attention of the teammate that was awake, who put down her book and started watching the proceedings with interest. Once Ciel had given her the tools, Penny quickly set to work, her hands practically a blur as she moved, not even bothering to use Ciel's loupe to to look at what she was doing. In four minutes, fifty-two seconds, Penny managed to fully restore the watch to working order, down to the last second on the freshly-wound watch.

"I don't know what you expected," their chestnut-haired teammate noted, "You asked the mad scientist's daughter to fix a machine."

"A minor correction," Penny stated, "My father is not a mad scientist. He is a brilliant inventor who has revolutionized various fields of technology and coding."

"We know," the girl sighed, "It's hyperbole. Anyway, you two enjoy that dance tonight... Luckily for me, I'm still not fully cleared and Heather seems to plan on sleeping the day away."

"Eff you, you absolute scunner," the sleeper replied, revealing she was awake, despite her still-shut eyes, "You try fixing up a pair of weaponized tap shoes overnight while having to listen to you getting all worked up over Ninjas of Love Volume II. Damn whoever got you into that effing series."

"I told you, I got the first book from a work friend back when I was working for a small company near Mistral," she protested, "And besides, this isn't about you. This is about Penny wanting to see her little girlfriend and dragging Ciel along for the ride."

"I know. I have working ears," Heather replied, "And I have to agree with her, Ciel. You should've known better than to try making a bet like that with a girl whose da is The Professor. Now you've gotta find a dress to go to the dance."

"You could wear your dress uniform if you prefer," Penny said, "Steel and Stahl told me that they would be in their body armor for the duration of our time at the dance, if I were permitted to go."

"I suppose that I'll do that, then," Ciel said absently, her attention still locked on the pocket watch. The sheer precision from her partner, who had been hand-selected for her by Specialist Schnee, herself, was baffling when Ciel took the rest of the girl's mannerisms into account, particularly due to what her father was like, from the few times she had spoken with the man. Perhaps she took after her mother, whoever that was.

* * *

"Not wearing heels," Red stated flatly, entering the thirtieth minute of her argument with Weiss,an argument they'd been having even as they finished up the preparations for the party, "Impractical unbalanced, messy."

"What she said," Ruby agreed, "Just let us wear our combat boots."

"It doesn't match," Weiss replied sharply "They clash with the rest of the outfit."

"Unless falling is desired, no," Red stated flatly, "Not wearing heels."

"At least don't wear your boots," Weiss said, "Will you at least wear flats?"

Red went completely still, clearly discussing the matter with Ruby before her eyes locked onto Weiss. "Flats acceptable,"

"Thank goodness," Weiss muttered under her breath, until Red reached into her cloak and pulled out a pair of plain black flats. "Where's the weapon hidden?" she asked tiredly.

In response, Red clicked her heels three times, causing an elegant steel blade to appear from the front of each shoe, before another three clicks made them practically vanish.

"You know what?" Weiss said, "I don't even want to get into this. Just don't pop them out while we're on the dance floor."

"Obviously," Red replied dryly.

"With you, it absolutely isn't obvious." she responded.

After a moment of silence, Red shrugged. "Fair."

Ruby came to the fore once again, asking, "So, how's Blake?"

"She'll be coming to the dance," Yang said, "Trust me."

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked.

"Yep."

"Well, that's that, then," Ruby replied slowly, "As long as you're sure..."

* * *

Ciel's day passed uneventfully until the night came. The music was playing and the students were dancing, while Yang Xiao-Long was greeting people at the door clad in a white dress and long white gloves.

"Hey Penny!" she greeted cheerfully, "Who's your friend?"

"Teammate," Ciel insisted, "My associate roped me into coming."

"You did agree to the deal, Ciel," Penny noted, "Salutations, Yang! This is my combat partner, Ciel Soleil. Is Ruby here?"

"Half," Yang replied, gesturing to a section of the dance floor where a wide berth was given to two dancers. One, she recognized as the famous singer Weiss Schnee, the other was clearly the Ruby Rose of whom Penny frequently spoke quite highly. One look at the girl and she understood exactly why there was such a distance being kept by the others. The girl was discord made manifest. The very sight of her left the sound of clocks ticking out of turn in her head, broken gears grinding themselves down, stopping up the machinery, and yet she danced perfectly in time to the tune, matching the Schnee step for step. It was utterly maddening, and she suddenly understood why Penny, the girl who seemed to almost unthinkingly refuse to step in time with the machinery that was the Academy schedules, adored the girl who seemed very close with the idol.

She was not sure what the protocol for dealing with a teammate seeing the object of their affection with another was, so she decided to err on the side of simplicity. Placing her hand on Penny's shoulder, she said, "You have my sympathy."

As the song ended, she turned towards her partner to see how the girl was reacting to the situation, but Penny seemed undisturbed, even as the chaos in human form and the singer were heading towards them. Strangely, Ciel could have sworn that the girl in the red dress seemed to change her every stride as they approached. The gleam in her eyes that she could only assume was from ambient lighting was gone and the disturbingly wolf-like prowl that she moved with was now a much less predatory, much more lighthearted pace.

"Penny!" Ruby cheered, "You made it!"

"I got permission to come attend the party," she replied cheerfully, "Oh! This is my partner, Ciel Soleil."

"My sister mentioned you in a letter once," Weiss noted, "She said she expected great things from you."

"Would your sister be Specialist Winter Schnee?" Ciel asked. She had not been aware that Specialist Schnee had any direct relatives.

As this was going on Ruby had already pulled Penny aside. "So, does she know about...?"

"She does not," Penny said, before glancing slightly but meaningfully at Steel and Stahl, who were a few yards away. "Would you like to dance?"

"Sure, but I haven't danced before..." Ruby warned her, "So I'm probably not that good at it."

"You could try to treat it like we're sparring, but without the intent to actually fight," Penny suggested, "Minimal contact and soft touches."

"That could work..." Ruby mused, "Let's do this..."

* * *

Yang felt a tap on her shoulder from behind, causing her to turn in surprise. She smiled at the sight of Blake clad in a black dress, smiling softly as she said, "So... is that offer still valid."

"For you, anytime," Yang replied sweetly, taking Blake's hand in her own as she led her to the dance floor.

An energetic tune began to play as they made their way over, only for Yang to twirl Blake right as they reached the dance floor. They moved in perfect harmony, each step finding its match, each movement fluid and in sync with both the music and each other. It was as if there was nothing but them and the music.

"Glad you made it," Yang said, "I was looking forward to this."

"I have to admit," Blake replied, "I do feel better after sleeping and taking a break like you said."

"I told you," Yang admonished playfully, "You needed some rest and relaxation so you could clear your head."

"Thank you," Blake said, "Seriously. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she winked, "Just make sure you take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will," she promised.

* * *

"Do you not have any problems with Penny dancing with your partner?" Ciel asked in confusion.

"No, because she's not dancing with Red," Weiss explained, "She's dancing with Ruby."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Ask Penny about Red later," Weiss shrugged, "I kinda wonder where Team JNPR is. They should've been here by now. So, who is on your team?" she continued, "For Team RWBY, Ruby and Red are my partner, and Yang and Blake are our teammates."

"Penny is my combat partner," Ciel said, deciding not to handle the question that the previous statement caused right as the song began winding down, "Our team is Team PICH and our teammates are Heather Black and a friend I'd only recently gotten reacquainted with, named I..."

The first few notes of a song drew Weiss's attention away from the conversation, however.

 _Baby! It's time to make up your mind!_

"Oh, god no..." Weiss sighed tiredly.

"What's wrong?"

"I hated this recording. They didn't let me do another take like I'd asked."

"I see... Would that be Team JNPR?"

Weiss looked where she was pointing, only to see Team JNPR dancing in the middle of the crowd, with Jaune in a well-tailored blue dress that managed to complement Pyrrha's red dress nicely.

Ciel, however, had her attention drawn elsewhere, as Ruby and Penny had managed to sneak out onto the balcony.

"Excuse me," she said politely, "I see something that requires my attention."

Without waiting for a response, she left the singer to her own devices, just in time to see Penny and Ruby having a conversation while looking at the CCT Tower.

"Did you get a good look at her face?" Ruby asked.

"I did not," Penny admitted.

"I'm gonna check it out," Ruby insisted.

"Check what out?" Ciel pressed.

"I saw someone on the roof," Ruby said, "Dressed in black and headed in the direction of the CCT Tower. I'm going to tail her to make sure that nothing's wrong..."

"Shouldn't we leave that to the adults?" she asked.

"It might be nothing," Ruby replied, "I just want to be sure."

"I intend on following her," Penny noted.

"Penny, please don't," Ciel pleaded tiredly, "We've both had to be brought before General Ironwood due to you running off three times already."

"At the longest, we will be out for fifteen minutes," Penny noted, "And a Huntress never lets a comrade go without backup."

Ciel counted backwards before sighing, "Fine. But you'll have to figure out a way to occupy Stahl and Steel."

"Body armor with red and blue accents respectively?" Ruby asked, "I think they've got their hands full already."

Ciel glanced inside to see General Ironwood speaking with them while Professor Goodwitch was clearly on the line with Ozpin. As that happened, however, she turned to see Ruby now wearing a hooded cloak, her eyes glinting silver as the sense of discord manifested itself once more.

"Let's move," the girl said, her voice much colder. Ciel followed, wondering what Penny had roped her into.

* * *

"So, is anyone causing any trouble for us at the dance?" Cinder asked over her scroll as she waited for the elevator to reach the top floor.

"It looked like Ironwood was about to leave, but now he's talking to these two guys in armor," Mercury murmured as he and Emerald danced to keep attention off of themselves, "Can't get close enough to hear."

"Keep me posted," she said.

Once inside the top floor of the CCT, she inserted the chip and waited.

"A party guest is leaving..." Emerald murmured.

"Which one?" Cinder asked.

"Ironwood, and he's taking two guards."

"Seems he's done with partying," Mercury noted, "Need us to start a commotion?"

Cinder watched as every monitor in the room showed a Black Queen.

"No, we're done here." As she readied to leave, however, she heard the sound of an elevator coming up. Bracing herself, she hid herself behind a terminal and readied for whoever she needed to fight.

"The individual in question is hiding behind that terminal," Cinder heard, the voice even projecting towards her as a horrifying sense of powerlessness reverberated in the back of her mind. She knew this feeling, and so she quickly formed blades and leapt up, throwing them where she felt the sensation the strongest. Three shots of a small-caliber gun rang out, followed by a tinkling of glass shattering.

Her attack thwarted, she examined who had entered, only to see a girl in a pale green dress, a girl in an Atlesian Military-styled uniform, and the unchild that had haunted her nightmares since that fateful day on that Valean rooftop. The green-clad girl had a pair of swords at the ready, while the one in the uniform had a small, easily concealable handgun in each hand. The creature, however, was wielding that massive scythe-gun that it owned as it readied to shoot at her.

She immediately formed her bow and fired three arrows, intent on striking them all down in one shot before the creature could try anything. As the arrows exploded on impact, however, the three leaped out of the blast radii and shot at her. She was able to use glass to take the laser blasts from the swords and deflect the bullets easily, but she was startled when she felt a stinging sensation along the side of her left shoulder. Looking down quickly, she saw that she had been grazed.

Hearing the elevator chime once again, signaling that even more opponents were on their way, Cinder quickly took a crystal of Fire Dust and threw it into the air, blasting it with molten glass to create a bright flash of fire, allowing her to escape just as the elevator opened.

* * *

General Ironwood stepped out of the elevator and examined the whole scene, his eyes fixed on Ozpin's student, before he saw Penny and Ciel standing there. James Ironwood felt disturbed in the girl's presence. Something about her gave off an overwhelming sense of defeat and loss being imminent, with nothing being able to change that fact.

Before he could say anything, however, a lively voice said, "Ah, you must be Taiyang's youngest daughter! It is good to meet you at last! You have silver eyes! We'll talk after we see what they came for... I told you, James. I told you that you needed better security in here. Now I'm going to have to go hunting for code that should not be there." Professor Polendina was already typing away at the computer when he suddenly paused, then slowly turned his head to see Penny standing there guiltily. Slowly, he turned around and said, "James, Is my daughter currently standing in the middle of a crime scene?"

"We both know the answer to that," Ironwood replied carefully.

"James," the Professor said in an eerie, toneless calm before returning to his typing, "You and I will be talking about this at length." Then, rising from his seat, he returned to his more animated voice and said, "Penny, we talked about this! Are you alright? Were you hurt?"

"My friends and I are fine," Penny insisted, "It was hardly a scuffle."

"We'll see about that later," he said, looking her over to ensure that there was no outward damage. Once he was satisfied, he returned to the computer and began working.

"Let's see... That's right... Excellent. Look at the code flowing so beautifully. An intricate ballet of coding. Ones and zeros moving in a a majestic dance. Let's see who isn't dancing to the right tune..."

His eyes darted along codes as he typed out commands and queries until he suddenly paused.

"Ah!" he exclaimed cheerfully, "There you are, you little worm! Arthur's work, aren't you? Oh! This would have been on the grid, itself. This is actually inspired, albeit a tad on the nose with that Black Queen motif. I swear, James, you really should have consulted me on this before. There are so many holes you left for him to exploit! This is a military encryption that he broke into! I'm going to have to write an entire program to counter this work.!"

"Arthur?" Ruby asked, coming to the fore.

"Ah, you're Taiyang's second youngest!" Professor Polendina smiled, "You have silver eyes, as well. Don't pay me any mind. We can talk later."

"We need to speak with your Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress," General Ironwood told her plainly now that the sense of danger was gone. "Penny, Ciel, you will need to come as well."


	16. Chapter 16

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 16

The Extent of Trust and Consequences

I don't own RWBY. This is likely for the best. My apologies for the lateness.

"Being in a situation such as this is exactly why I tried to avoid spending time with you," Ciel remarked as they made their way up the elevator, "I will not lie to General Ironwood."

"I will not ask you to," Penny assured her, "We've no need for subterfuge, as we have done nothing wrong, nor do we have anything that we need to hide."

"It'll be fine," Ruby chimed in, "I've been in worse trouble than this before."

"That is not reassuring," Ciel noted dryly, winding her pocket watch carefully.

"My point is that it's not that scary," Ruby replied, "Worst case scenario, we'll give an apology for not involving the adults after explaining what we saw. Since the Atlesian Military was involved, we're going to also need to file secondary statements about the rounds and Dust we used, but you both already knew that."

"How often do you tend to get involved in Atlesian Military affairs?" Ciel asked in shock.

"Just two times before," Ruby said, "I didn't have to file any paperwork for either of them. I know this stuff because my uncle's had to work with them before and likes to tell horror stories about the paperwork."

"Your uncle?"

"Qrow Branwen," Penny chimed in, "Has more documentation tan any other Huntsman or Huntress to work with the Atlesian Military. Were he a Specialist, he would have countless infractions, official reprimands, and demotions."

"I am not surprised that you are related to that man all things considered..." Ciel remarked, "He is the bane of Specialist Schnee's career, if her description of him is to be believed."

The elevator dinged, alerting them to the fact that they had reached Ozpin's office.

"Enter," they heard Glynda Goodwitch announce, causing the three girls to quietly enter the room. When they got inside, they were greeted by the sight of General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch at the desk, with a large scroll set up to show Professor Ozpin, still apparently wherever that familiar-looking place he was at was.

"You're looking better, Professor," Ruby offered.

"I'm feeling better than I had the last time we spoke, Miss Rose," he replied, "I suspect that it is the benefit of a good night's sleep. Speaking of which, I suspect that, having gotten a good night's rest, the three of you should be up to the task of talking about the events of last night."

"Was there anything that you can remember about the persn who attacked the CCT?" Glynda asked gently, "Anything at all?"

"Everything I am aware of has already been recorded," Penny offered, "There is nothing that I can offer other than my opinion that we acted to the best of our abilities based upon the information we had at hand."

Ciel glanced at Penny curiously, but did not say anything before she chimed in, "While our actions were unorthodox, we aided in the prevention of a serious security breach, one which would have compromised the entire Atlesian Military. While I cannot recall with perfect clarity, I must note that the unknown operator had dark hair and wielded crystalline weaponry, which se could manipulate in various way."

"It wasn't her Semblance, though," Ruby chimed in, "At least, I don't think so. Her clothes... Red!"

"What?" Ironwood asked in confusion at the sudden change.

"She's going somewhere with this," Glynda said, "Brace yourself."

Ciel felt the world around her go out of sync with itself, once again becoming a world of absolute chaos as General Ironwood suddenly went rigid while Ruby reached into her cloak and pulled out a massive journal. Then, just as suddenly, the sensation went away.

"What she had was somewhere between Professor Peach's Dust-infused cloth and a design that Red and I were inspired by..." Ruby said, flipping through the journal, "The idea was to literally weave Dust into threads for better manipulation. We still haven't gotten our formula right. Neither has whoever she is, but she was able to alter the structures differently..."

"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked in interest.

"With what she was doing with the shards she had, she had to keep it in reserve," Ruby replied, "Her explosions were too small, which means she had to be careful to avoid setting off her clothes."

"Experimental compounds aside, her the footage show that her attacks resemble the ones used by the woman that was in the Bullhead the night we met Ruby and Red."

"You think she might have something to do with Torchwick?" Ruby asked in interest.

"It's possible, but we lack any proof linking the two that would let us investigate," Ozpin said slowly.

"Now that I think about it..." Ruby began equally slowly, "I thought I heard her say something about a hideout... in the southeast... just outside of the kingdom? I don't think either Penny or Ciel heard it, though." She added that last bit hastily.

"Miss Soleil, did you hear anything?"

Ciel thought for a moment on the fact that Ruby had blatantly tried to keep her and Penny from needing to lie on her behalf, as well as the look of guilt on Penny's face at the fact that she believed Ciel was put into an unpleasant situation. As such, she felt that, from a moral standpoint, she had only one form of recourse that would allow her to be satisfied with the end result.

"I was preoccupied with ensuring that there were no others involved in the attack on the tower and on the fight at hand," she stated, "As I stated earlier, I cannot recall with perfect clarity what transpired. I will therefore leave the matter up to my superiors."

Ciel did not miss that Ruby looked appreciative while Penny looked contemplative.

"Interesting..." Professor Ozpin muttered, "Thank all three of you very much, ladies. You're all free to go."

"Before you leave," Ironwood chimed in, "I would personally like to say that the three of you acted in a manner that is befitting of a Huntress. You saw a potential crisis, worked to prevent it, and acted as a team in an attempt to neutralize the threat to the best of your abilities."

"Thank you, sir," Ruby replied, leading the other two back into the elevator.

Once the doors were closed, Ciel turned towards the pair and said, "Don't make a big thing out of this. I was obligated to do that."

"It's still something to me," Ruby noted.

"Just don't think too much on it," she replied.

* * *

"How is this not the perfect opportunity?" Ironwood demanded, "We have a location. We have an opportunity to bring this all to an end once and for all. We should strike while the iron is hot."

"This isn't the time for a big show of military bravado," Glynda said sharply, "We need a subtle approach."

"If we don't act now, we might not get another chance like this!" he responded.

"And if we act too quickly, we could show our hand too early. And that's ignoring the possibility of it being a trap!"

"As Glynda said," Ozpin chimed in calmly over the scroll, "This requires finesse. If this is one of Her plans, we need to be absolutely certain that we know just what we're getting into."

"So you just want us to stay behind walls and wait it out?" he asked sharply.

"No." The single word was spoken with the sort of commanding tone that would brook no argument and accept no questions. It sounded like it should have been shouted, but it came out as halfway to a whisper, instead, and was promptly replaced with a voice filled with ages of fatigue before he continued, "James, you're a general. When you're engaging in a military effort, do you send the flag-bearers first, or the scouts?"

* * *

When Penny and Ciel had returned to their assigned dorm, their teammates were not present, as they were finishing up the last of the required paperwork that would allow them to participate in the assignment.

"Ciel," Penny began slowly, "I believe you to be trustworthy and would like to tell you something of importance to me."

"That is not necessary," she responded quickly, "There is no need to do that."

"I feel that it is. As my colleague, partner, and friend, I feel that you should be told this."

"We are not..." Ciel began, only to pause at the sight of Penny having an expression that was a cross between nervous and hurt, "What is it that you want to talk about?"

"I have only shared this secret once before," Penny began slowly, "It is something that you will need to keep to yourself. I would recommend you have a seat before we begin, as this will be something of a shocking revelation for you to experience."

Ciel had no doubt that she was telling the truth.

* * *

"What's wrong with this scroll?!" Cinder glared, "Watts said that his program was unstoppable. 'No military programmer can beat it,' he said. Well, what the hell is this, then? How is this program not working?"

In the room with her, Mercury was completely silent and was gesturing for Emerald to do the same for the time being as she continued to mutter darkly to herself.

It was then that the screen lit up with a green text with a cheery font that read:

ARTHUR. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. THIS IS BENEATH YOU AS A PROGRAMMER AND AS A HUMAN BEING. FORTUNATELY FOR YOU, YOUR CONSOLE IS NOT TRACEABLE, SO I CANNOT FIND YOU AT THIS TIME. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IMPRISONED FOR YOUR CRIMES. PROF. C.

Growling in frustration, Cinder threw the scroll aside, causing Emerald to quickly leap up to catch it before it slammed either into the wall or into the ground.

"Call Torchwick," Cinder said cagily, "We're going to need her back sooner than we thought if this is what we're dealing with."

"Yes, ma'am," Emerald replied quickly.

"You'll need to be quick about it," Cinder noted, regaining her composure, "We have places to be today, after all..."

* * *

"Ciel?" Penny asked slowly, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ciel said, her voice pitched slightly higher than usual before she quickly repeated herself at her usual pitch. "I'm fine."

"I disturbed you..." Penny said, clearly upset at that.

"It's just a lot to take in," Ciel offered, "Though that does answer several questions that I've had ever since we were assigned as partners. Admittedly, it is somewhat unnerving that someone in whose proximity I have lived for some time now is physically a being whose existence is beyond that which I can comprehend, but that is not a reason to treat you any differently. You are my partner, regardless, and I presume that your personality will remain unchanged."

"Thank you!" Penny exclaimed, her hands behind her back as she smiled, "You are a good friend, Ciel!"

"Don't mention it," Ciel said, "I certainly won't."

* * *

"That was risky," Weiss said slowly.

"No, I think you did the right thing..." Blake said.

"Best you could do," Red offered before letting Ruby come back to the fore.

"And I know just what'll cheer you up," Yang smiled, holding out a cardboard tube, "We got a package from dad."

"What is it?!" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Don't know," Yang shrugged, "Was waiting for you two to get back before I'd open it."

As if on cue, the bottom of the container popped off, followed by what looked like a fuzzy gray tube. Before any questions could be asked, the tube took the shape of a corgi wolf mix.

"Zwei!" Ruby cheered, scooping up the dog with glee, "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Your dad sent a dog?!" Blake asked in horror as she leapt up to Ruby's bed.

"Through the mail?!" Weiss asked, clearly aghast.

"He does stuff like this all the time," Yang shrugged.

"So you mean that this mangy, drooling..." Weiss began. Then, Zwei locked eyes with Weiss and Weiss locked eyes with Zwei. In the blink of an eye, her expression changed to a softer one as she began speaking in a baby-talk. "Widdle angel is going to wive with us fowevew? Yes he is! Yes he is!"

"There's a note..." Yang remarked, reaching into the tube to pull it out. "Dear girls, Have to leave the island for a while, so please look after Zwei. Enclosed should be enough food to last him a good while." At that, a small mountain of food and a can opener fell out of the tube. "Well, the can opener's there, so Zwei will be fine while we're out."

The sensation of Red coming back to the fore was unmistakable as she walked up to Zwei and the food, then put everything, from the can opener to the corgi, into her cloak.

"Will it be fine in there?" Blake asked in spite of herself.

"Never been a problem before," Red shrugged. Before any other questions could be asked, Professor Goodwitch's voice rang out over the PA system.

"Would all first year students report to the amphitheater?" she asked.

"Well, let's go..." Yang said.

* * *

When they had arrived, Ozpin had already started his speech on the history and importance of the Vytal Festival and had just gotten to the topic of the assignment to shadow a Huntsman or Huntress in the field. That, however, was less relevant to Ruby, who turned towards Weiss and said, "He's on his way back."

"What makes you so sure?" Weiss asked in surprise.

"That's not where he's been this whole time," she noted, "That was a homier looking place. Secondly, look at the wall behind him. It looks similar to Atlesian steel, but with an Air Dust mixture that was mixed in larger proportions than the standard for Atlesian steel typically used. My guess, going by the pattern, is that it's Professor Peach's design for the steel. Combine that with the fact that the actual wall he's in front of is clearly not a standard-issue bullhead's hull on the whole. It's much more compact. My guess is that Ozpin's riding in what was probably a stealth bullhead, like the ones that Professor Peach had apparently been talking about with Velvet."

"She what?" Weiss asked just as Ozpin finished his speech.

"At any rate," Ruby noted, "I think we all know what we need to do."

"Find a Huntsman or Huntress working in the southeast," Blake noted.

"We can work with them during the day, then give them the slip at night," Yang said, pumping her fist energetically as Ruby approached the nearest console.

"I suppose that Search and Destroy would be our best bet," Weiss noted, knowing from experience that they weren't going to return to the topic she wanted to discuss.

"Quadrant 5's perfect for that..." Ruby said, inputting their team name for the mission, only for red text to appear.

MISSION NOT AVAILABLE TO FIRST YEARS.

"Now what?" Weiss asked.

"Hack system?" Red suggested.

"Or..." Professor Goodwitch's voice chimed in as the woman walked around the column, "You could not do that."

"Was joking?" Red offered.

"I have my doubts, Miss Rose," Ozpin noted over the scroll Glynda was holding up to them, "But, regardless, it seems that you four seem to find your way into situations such as this frequently. I don't know how you really got the information about the hideout, or what actually happened on the docks that night, but I suspect that even not being assigned to this task would be unable to keep you from going there. Professor Goodwitch, if you could plug me into the column?"

Sighing, she took a wire and connected the scroll to the console. The red text vanished, replaced with a green text that read, "TEAM RWBY ASSIGNED."

"Teamwork has helped you four thus far," Ozpin said, "But you need to be prepared. Things out there are more dangerous than they might seem. Listen to the Huntsman you'll be working with and remember that, if he decides that you're not ready for this, he can have you sent back to Beacon immediately."

"Yes, sir," the girls said in unison before Ruby took over.

"Understood, sir," Ruby said quickly, "We won't let you down."

"I'm sure that you won't. Good luck." he smiled, before cutting off the connection at his end.

"I believe that you girls should be fine, as long as you do as your Huntsman says," Glynda said, "He's one of the best in the field and he knows the area well. Good luck out there."

As the girls left the amphitheater, they stopped as a group when someone shouted, "Team CVFY's back!"

Seeing the group, they all rushed towards Velvet, who had a tired dullness to her eyes.

"Velvet!" Weiss called out, causing the rabbit Faunus to turn and offer them a faint smile.

"Hey, kids," she greeted softly, "It's good to see all of you again."

"You alright?" Yang asked.

"Yeah. I had Yatsuhashi watching my back," she said.

"Your mission was supposed to be finished a week ago," Blake noted, "Did something happen?"

"No it's just... There were a lot of them..." She paused then hastily added, "But you first years have a professional Huntsman with you. You should be fine out there!"

"Hey," Ruby said, before Red took over and reached into her cloak, pulling out a few sheets of engineering paper with an unfamiliar design on it.

"A gift from us," Red said as Velvet took the sheets, now only slightly unnerved by Red's ominous sensation, "Experiment to cheer you up."

As Velvet glanced at the notes and schematics, a broad grin began to form on her face. "You tested this, yet?"

"Don't even have prototype," Red responded, "Were saving it for you."

"Thank you," she smiled, "Both of you."

With that, she raced off after her team, eager to show them the new weapon she was going to be working on as Team RWBY continued towards the bullhead.

"As long as we work together, everything will be fine," Ruby said as she came back to the fore, , "Besides, we've got a genuine Huntsman to work with us, so we'll be perfectly fine!"

"Hello, ladies!" an animated voice greeted, causing them all to stop and turn to see Professor Oobleck standing enthusiastically, "Who's ready to fight for their lives?!"

* * *

As Team RWBY was staring in mortified shock, General Ironwood was in the middle of a meeting of great importance in the main bullhead of the fleet he had brought to Vale.

"Team PICH," he said, "I've assigned you to a Search and Destroy mission. I know that this is against the usual protocols but I've need of your special skills in that area."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Heather asked.

"Granted."

"We aren't exactly a Search and Destroy team, sir," she said, "Half of us are better geared to reconnaissance, while the other two are more geared towards peacekeeping."

"Your official assignment is Search and Destroy, cadet," he said, "However, I would like you to monitor the area for any suspicious activity. To that effect, I have arranged for Specialist Schnee to watch over your group."

"Where is the mission, Mr... General Ironwood," Penny asked.

"Your assignment is in the Southeast," he said, "Specialist Schnee will provide you with the rest of the information you need once you're aboard the bullhead that will be taking you there. That will be all. You're all dismissed. Good luck to you all."

When they left, James released a sigh of relief. The past two days had been troubling, starting from the break-in at the CCT Tower and ending at the meeting with Ozpin. Team PICH and Specialist Schnee would be discreet and he would be able to get better intel. The fact that Penny was clearly pleased with being assigned with a serious mission was an added benefit. That Penny was in a good mood meant that her father might be in better spirits, and James needed the man to be in better spirits, given the haranguing he had received from him over the security of the CCT. Yes, he was absolutely certain that Professor Polendina would be delighted to hear about Penny's joy at getting an official assignment.

* * *

While this was happening, aboard a smaller, much less noticeable bullhead flying higher than regulation designs for bullheads would commonly allow, one made of a metal created with a mixture of Air Dust that was in larger proportions than was standard for Atlesian steel, sat four people, one of whom had just finished yet another video conference.

"So, what's the word?" Amber asked.

"Peter's going to be in the office by the time we arrive," Ozpin explained, "He has a few suspicions as to what they attacked you with. He's heard of something similar before."

"How much does he know?" Qrow asked.

"Enough to know that he needs to keep everything secret," Ozpin replied.

"I'll be on standby" Taiyang told Amber, "In case complications turn up."

"This'll be interesting..." Amber muttered as the ship waited for the bullheads to fly off so it could make its landing.


	17. Chapter 17

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 17

Utility vs Aesthetic and the Meeting of Old Friends

I don't own RWBY. This one took a while to get to flow with the plans I have properly.

My apologies for missing the June Chapter Update. It took a while to work some logistical issues out.

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss asked.

"That's Doctor Oobleck, thank you!" the man in question said quickly, zipping about as he spoke to the group, "We are, as it stands, currently three minutes behind schedule! I'm glad to see that none of you are carrying backpacks, as we shall not be needing them on this mission. I've carefully determined the supplies we shall need and just how much, and have taken care to arrange for such things." He paused. "But then, I suppose that Miss Rose is probably holding onto all of the materials that you packed with her Semblance. Clever choice, ladies! Truly a brilliant means of ensuring that you have everything you could potentially need! Nonetheless, we really must be headed off!"

"Hold it right there!" an official-sounding voice called out, causing Weiss to pause. When all five turned, they all stared in confusion, though Blake, of all people, seemed very interested in the newcomers.

"Can I help you, Specialist Schnee?" Oobleck asked politely.

"This team was assigned to head to the Southeast quadrant, was it not?" she asked, the girls behind her standing at attention, "Team PICH was assigned to the same area. We'll be riding with you."

"I am not entirely sure that is possible!" Oobleck noted, "This bullhead is loaded with what materials we will need for the expedition to come! We would not only need to gather enough food and supplies to accommodate five more individuals, but we will also need to find a way to store it in a manner that will allow us to all be able to ride in the bullhead! We simply cannot arrange for this at the last minute!"

Ruby quietly waved to Penny, who waved back subtly, a smile on her face as the two adults continued talking. Ciel stood stock still, while Blake's eyes were narrowed as she tried to get a good look at the girl hiding behind her teammate with the pale blond hair topped by a pair of mechanical rabbit ears that seemed to be attached to the top of her head.

"Oi!" the girl demanded, "Can I help you? Mind telling us why you're staring at my teammate?"

"Sorry," Blake said, "Your teammate looks like someone I knew a couple of years ago."

"Well, you'll have time to figure it out when we're in the Bullhead, won't you?" she pressed, "If she wants to chat, that is."

"Miss Rose!" Professor Oobleck suddenly exclaimed, causing Ruby to straighten her back.

"Yes, sir?" she asked quickly.

"I was actually talking to the other Miss Rose, Ruby," he said calmly, "If you would please...?"

Winter, for her part, felt the universe go out of sync with itself as the girl before her seemed to change in a way that was not changing. There was a sense of cold empty halls in the distance, but the immediate concern was that the universe seemed out of phase, but her training kept her from outwardly expressing any discomfort.

"Doctor?" the cloaked girl asked tersely, her silver eyes catching sunlight in a way that eyes usually didn't.

"Miss Rose, I'm afraid that we must ask you to make use of your Semblance!" Oobleck said, "In order to conserve space you are, as of this moment, our unofficial quartermaster for the duration of this expedition."

"Understood."

Before any of the Atlesians that were not familiar with Ruby and Red could react, the girl walked up to the supplies and opened her cloak before engulfing the entirety of the supplies that had been sitting within the Bullhead, leaving no sign that any of it had ever been there.

"Thank you, Miss Rose!" Oobleck said, "If the Atlesian team would be so kind as to provide her with their own cases and bags, but keep their weapons on hand, you will be able to retrieve them once we have landed."

"What the effin' hell was that?!" the one with the ears exclaimed, her accent much more pronounced than it had been just moments earlier, "A dinnae ken what that was, but it shouldn't have happened! Her effin' Semblance is supposed to be speed an' flower petals!"

"Miss Red Rose," Oobleck explained, "Shares a body with her sister, Ruby Rose! As they seem to have different souls, Ruby has the Semblance that Miss Polendina no doubt mentioned in passing. Red Rose has a Semblance that allows her to access her own personal pocket of reality, in which she can store as many things as she can fit into her cloak. Now, we are already now five minutes behind schedule, so if you would please just do as I requested so that we may be on our way!"

"Is it safe?" the one still behind the one with the ears asked.

"It's perfectly safe," Yang said, "You'll get your stuff back in one piece."

"Ma'am?" Ciel asked, performing a quarter turn to face Winter.

"Everyone except for Polendina, present your packs to her, but keep your weapons on hand," Winter stated in a clipped tone, "Get moving."

"If she effing eats me, I want a memorial put up." the one with the ears noted.

"Heather, know that I will purchase a small lawn ornament and mark it with your name in marker." Ciel offered in her usual deadpan as she removed a rifle from her pack, which she promptly dismantled into four easily-concealed handguns that she quickly seemed to make vanish.

"I think it's scarier when you make jokes than it is when Penny does," the girl noted as she plucked what looked like a cross between a short-handled plain truncheon and a revolver's cylinder, before she clicked a trigger, converting it into a cross between a cane and a gun. Two quick clicks collapsed the weapon back down to its smaller form. "With her, you can tell she's trying. With you, who can even tell?"

"Why don't you ever carry anything but your sword pack?" the fourth member asked Penny from her still-obstructed position as she opened her own long case and pulled out what looked like a mix between a gun and a sword, before she pulled the trigger to test her weapon, revealing that it could convert to a whip.

"It is not necessary for me to carry anything else, Ami," Penny replied.

"Ami?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"It is a nickname she prefers to be referred to by," Penny answered cheerfully, "Her full name is..."

"If we could save this for the ride in the Bullhead, thank you!" Oobleck said quickly, "We are running behind schedule as it is!"

At that, the entire group rushed to get aboard the airship and they were off.

* * *

The group rode in silence for sometime before Heather decided to break the silence.

"I hate riding in these things," she said, pulling some small metallic device out of her suit jacket, which she opened before pressing a button and shutting it, "Always effs with my ears. Pick up all sorts of static."

"Is it the transceiver?" Yang asked.

"Yes, but I can't replace it because they wouldn't be as good. Same reason I don't go for the fuzzy covers anymore. Sure, they make them look like the genuine article did, but better to look off and hear properly than look normal and have ears that don't work right."

"Makes sense to me," Yang nodded, "I didn't use the rubber skin on my last arm for about the same reason."

"You've got a whipsword!" Ruby said excitedly to Ami, " It looks like you've even got Dust chambers attached! How did you deal with the locking issue. I always figured that a singular inner spring would just get caught, but Red thought that it would work."

"It's actually a set of chains and gears, with a set of springs to get it to lock," Ami said, keeping her head down, hiding her face from the group.

"Of course!" Ruby said, "That gives it its flexibility and gives you the added benefit of being able to align the Dust chambers and swap them out for refills easily! Let me guess! Lightning Dust cartridges?"

Ami nodded, but clearly did not want to continue the conversation.

"What about your weapon, Heather?" Ruby asked, "Can it shoot in truncheon mode?"

"Obviously," she replied, "wouldn't be much use if it didn't, would it?"

"Why a plain dancer's cane, though?" she asked, "couldn't a fritz handle work better? You'd be able to have a handled truncheon when it's collapsed. And you'd be able to use the handle as a hook to pull your opponent down."

"Wouldn't fit my combat style," she shrugged, "Also wouldn't go with my shoes, but that's the same problem."

Ruby glanced down and saw what looked like ordinary tap shoes, staring in confusion before a wide grin suddenly spread across her face."No way! You weaponized tap shoes?!"

"They said it couldn't be done, but I did it!" she grinned, "It's all in the taps. Just make the easy to attach and detach and keep a stash of them. Finest-forged Atlesian steel. Almost had to go with transparent aluminum, but we managed it at the last minute."

"Dust cartridges, of course! Are there rotating cylinders, or did you figure out a better way to make the Dust flow smoothly without it?"

"Tried the cylinders, but they wouldn't hold properly. Managed to develop a trigger that let me make use of it. Most of my taps are smokers, but I eventually figured out proper incendiaries."

"No way!"

"I'll show you next time we get to fight," she said, "Damn it's good to talk tech with someone that actually recognizes the artistry in weapon-crafting!"

"I've got to introduce you to Velvet when we get back! She loves weapons, too!"

"Now there's two of them..." Ami muttered, her face still buried in her book.

"How are your studies going, Weiss?" Winter asked neutrally.

"They have been going well," Weis replied, "I've even started making headway with what we'd been discussing the last time we saw one another."

"I see..." Winter said, "So you have been following my advice, then?"

"No..." Weiss said slowly, as if the admission pained her.

"Exposure therapy," Red chimed in, interrupting both Ruby and Heather's conversation and Weiss and Winter's conversation, "Fear is motivational."

As silver eyes bore into her own, Winter found herself feel, deep in the back of her disciplined mind, the instinctive desire to summon something.

"If you would be so kind as to tone that down, Miss Rose..." Oobleck suggested, "I would prefer if the pilot were to not send us plummeting to our demise in a blind panic."

"Apologies," Red said, raising her hood as the tension on the Bullhead lessened.

The Atlesian students, save for Penny let out a breath of relief and Winter once more suppressed that ember of unease as the universe around her was more or less back in order again.

"If you look, then you will see our destination," Oobleck said, "It is things like this that make history so important. We learn from all mistakes and triumphs of the past, and this one..."

"Mountain Glenn," Ruby said softly, "So many people died there... It was supposed to be a safe, new settlement. All sorts of people lived and worked here, with the railway giving them a means of accessing the kingdom. But things went wrong... Thanks to the railway and the Huntsmen and Huntresses who fought on that day, a lot of lives were saved that day."

"Fallen heroes in Gilded Hall," Red stated respectfully, "Others reside in Fields of Peace."

"That is possible," Oobleck replied, "No one has determined what happens to a person's Aura whe they die, and what is Aura but the physical manifestation of the soul. Whether it is true or not, it is a pleasant thought."

"We're nearing the optimal landing zone," Winter noted, glancing out the window, "At this rate, we'll arrive in ten minutes."

"Oh, the Bullhead isn't landing here!" Oobleck said cheerfully, " Its purpose is simply to get us to this area and it will not land until it returns to Beacon! We shall be jumping out in five minutes."

Four Atlesians looked shocked at that exclamation, while Penny smiled they way she had been from the start before she asked, "Ruby, have you heard the joke about the capacitor that walked into a bar and stated that it was already filled?"

"No, I haven't," Ruby replied.

"A fully-charged capacitor walked into a bar," Penny said, "The bartender asked if it desired anything to drink and the capacitor replied that it was already filled! This is the part where people laugh."

* * *

"You want what?!" Torchwick screamed at his scroll, "How am I supposed to get work done when you keep tying my hands behind my back...?" He gritted his teeth, "No. I'm not arguing with your orders... We'll figure it out... Yes, I'm sure! Do you know who you're talking to? It'll be done before you know it. You know, it would be useful if you just tol... And you've hung up. That's just perfect! You!" he pointed at a White Fang member with what he was reasonably sure was were tiny ram horns on the side of his head, "take care of those crates. Perry!"

"Yes, sir?" the bespectacled Faunus asked, rushing over to the crate Torchwick had been seated upon.

"Run through these," he commanded, "Tell me if anything's off. I need to talk to Neo."

"Yes, sir," he agreed quickly as Torchwick left the room, clearly not eager to have the conversation he was about to have.

* * *

"So..." Port muttered as he looked at the scars on her face in his office, "You said that it was shaped like an insect and spat a black sticky liquid...? Where did she carry it?"

"It came out of her hand," Amber said, "It was hidden by a white glove with a strange symbol on it."

"I've heard tales of something like this," he mused, "Taiyang, could you hand me that book beneath the replica of an Apathy's skullplate. The one with the brown spine."

"Yes, sir," he said, grabbing the book in question. Port flipped through the yellowed pages rapidly before pausing on one page.

"Amber," he said, "Did the creature and the glove look something like this?" He turned the book towards her, showing a cross-sectioned diagram of what looked vaguely like a demonic mosquito, causing her to flinch. "I was worried that this was what it was..."

"What is it?" Qrow asked.

"That is a Parasite Grimm," he said, snapping the book shut, "There has only ever been one recorded in history, but their nasty little things. They drain life force directly through their webbing. Worse still, it can be controlled by someone with a glove that, from my understanding, is made by Her. Whoever went after you, they're working for Her. Can you tell us anything about the people who attacked you?"

"No..." she said faintly, "Their faces were... blurry, somehow. I couldn't make anything out about them. Even their voices were distorted a bit."

"I see..." Port mused, "I don't know of any Grimm that could do that. Ozpin?"

"I haven't either," the Headmaster replied, "For the time being, we will need to keep this under wraps, until we're certain on what the next move is."


	18. Chapter 18

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 18

Half-Truths, Alibis, and The Value of Teamwork

I don't own RWBY. The file went bad at one point, so it took a while to rewrite the chapter.

Perry, as he currently called himself, was Roman Torchwick's employee. He was also, as of precisely three days after Torchwick had hired him, a member of the White Fang, and then, as of a week after joining the White Fang, a White Fang member who had only just been introduced to the man whose hand he had shaken just ten days prior.

Perry fancied himself a talented actor.

He was Torchwick's numbers person when Torchwick was too busy to run the books himself, and, while not privy to how the partnership between Torchwick and the little woman had formed or the majority of their conversations, conversations held in a nigh-indecipherable sign language that was entirely their own, he was privy to the exact nature of their partnership. Being the discrete employee that he was, he did not mention it to anyone and brushed aside questions regarding it with a practically bored professional air.

It was due to this position of his, however, that he was the one visibly working the books over at the door when Torchwick and his silent partner were in the middle of an argument that was a good distance away from the other White Fang members. Perry internally chuckled at his mental pun but showed no outward sign that he had made it in the first place. He was, after all, a consummate professional.

'Yes, I know that it's not ideal, Neo, but there's nothing we can do about it,' Roman signed, assured that Perry was manning the door as he had told him to, 'She's got us on a tight leash as it is. We don't exactly have a lot of options here.'

'We could still try to run,' she argued, 'It's not like any of these White Fang clowns are loyal to her. We could run right now and they'd probably just assume that one of them killed us and covered it up.'

'She tracked us down to our hideout when she first went looking for us,' he countered, 'She found Tukson and everything there was so far under the board that the devil would've had to look down to see it. She'll find us if we just up and run. That was why we were going to fake it with the train. We'll just have to play along a bit longer than we planned. I'll think of something. There's got to be a way out for us. Some small hole that we can use to get out. I just need to figure it all out.'

'You'd better think of it fast, then,' she replied, getting on the free train car they were standing by, 'Because from where I'm sitting, she's been splitting us up so often that it isn't even funny.'

With that, she held up her umbrella at an angle, which he matched with his cane, creating an X between the two of them before they lowered them again. With that, she walked to the front of the car and started the engine, allowing the train to take her to where she was told to go.

* * *

"You mean to tell me that you intend on sending these students, students that are under our direct supervision, hurtling towards the ground to deplete their Aura before they even see combat?" Winter asked.

"My apologies," Oobleck stated, "At Beacon, it is already expected that our First Year student have determined effective landing strategies by the time they have started attending. I presume that Atlas does not hold first years to such standards? If not, I believe that my students can accommodate them."

Winter did not rise to what she believed to be bait as she looked at Team PICH, a calculating gleam in her eye before she spoke. "Polendina, you are capable of making such a landing. For the rest of you, I am able to provide a means of getting down safely."

"I actually have a landing strategy that I did in the past," Ami offered as she tied a gray bandanna over the lower half of her face, "I will need a bit of help near the end, though."

"I've got a way down that I've been meaning to test out," Heather noted, attaching White Dust taps to her shoes.

"Soleil?" Winter asked.

"Red Rose, if you could be so kind as to provide me with the pack I presented to you earlier..." Ciel asked. Wordlessly, Red reached into her cloak and did as she requested. Ciel, for her part, put on the pack and put it on her back.

"Is that a parachute?" Weiss asked in the same way that one would ask if someone were using a typewriter as Ciel clipped the front into place.

"I believe that an Atlesian Survival Kit is much more than a parachute," Ciel said defensively, before turning towards Winter and saying, "I have restored this kit to the point that it operates as if it were new, Specialist Schnee. Your aid will not be necessary, Ma'am."

"Excellent," Oobleck said, "Because we need to drop now!"

At that, Team RWBY hurtled to the ground, Ruby leading the charge, her hood up as they executed their respective landing strategies perfectly.

They were promptly followed by Oobleck, who was then followed by the Atlesian students.

Penny was the first to leap out and the first to land of the Atlesians, and as she went down, she deployed wings that, to the eye of anyone not in the know of her mechanical nature, looked as if they came out of the part of her backpack nearest her back and were made up of some of her swords, neither of which were true. She was followed by Heather, then Ami, and finally Ciel, at which point Winter leaped out, summoning a miniaturized Nevermore to fly her down inconspicuously as she did so.

Heather, as she plunged down, extended her truncheon into its cane form and tapped the side of her shoes with the head, causing Wind Dust to issue forth, creating a brief 'floor' made of air, which she used as a surface to bounce her taps off of after each plunge, giving her the ability to decrease her velocity as she descended from the heavens. Ami, her face still covered by her gray bandanna, was plunging headfirst to the ground, her whipsword pointed straight downward as she approached the empty space next to Heather, who promptly extended her cane to the side as they drew closer and closer to the ground. As Ami passed her, she flipped in the air, casting her sword at the extended cane, taking care to keep her hand off the trigger for the Dust chamber as it converted to its whip mode. As she sent herself upward, Heather pointed her cane below Ami, quickening her pace as she tapped her way down, taking care to fire a round of Wind Dust to create an air pocket to decrease her momentum.

Eventually, the pair made it to the ground safely, Ami trying to reorient herself while Heather caught her breath from rushing down so quickly. Seconds later, Ciel landed delicately with her parachute, pressing a button to quickly retract the white fabric back into the kit.

"That was fantastic!" Ami noted excitedly as she tucked the bottom of her bandanna into her uniform's collar, "We should experiment a bit with it."

"Absolutely!" Heather agreed, "I already have a few ideas to make things easier on us both."

"That sounds nice, actually," Ami smiled behind her bandanna, "That wasn't anything like the way I learned to land back at my old job, but we successfully made it work, so I'd love to see what we could do with a bit of practice."

"You're gonna have to tell us what the hell your job was one of these days," Heather noted dryly.

"No I won't," Ami replied glibly.

"Polendina," Winter said, interrupting the ginger-haired girl's conversation with Ruby, "A solid landing strategy. Soleil, while the A.S.K. is no longer in use by the Atlesian Military, you performed a textbook perfect usage of its parachute function. Fields, your method, while useful, needs work. I would suggest learning breathing exercises to help you. Amitola..." At that name, Blake paused and began whispering with Yang, but Winter paid her no heed, "While you were performing a technique I am to understand you had not done before, you did manage to do well. I would recommend trying to find a way to orient yourself in midair. All in all, a well-done execution from each of you. You should be proud."

"Ilia?" Blake asked, "Ilia Amitola?"

"How do you know my teammate Ami, Blake?" Penny asked in confusion. Placing herself behind Heather, Ilia stared at Blake with worry in her eyes.

"We worked for the same non-profit advocacy group," Blake said freely, causing her to relax, "I broke with them over philosophical differences that neither side could compromise on. I didn't think you'd leave, Ilia."

"Let's just say that I left for the same sort of reason you did," Ilia replied, "I didn't know you'd broken with them."

"So what was this organization?" Ciel asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, there was a non-disclosure agreement we had to take when we joined the organization," Blake replied, "We can't name it for another ten years or so..."

"Fair enough," Heather shrugged.

"Quite!" Oobleck chimed in, "Now, it would be best if we press onward! We are on a mission, after all! Everyone, ready your weapons!"

As Red drew Crescent Rose, however, there was a noticeable barking sound from within.

"Did she eat an effing dog?!" Heather asked in horror.

"Smuggled," Red replied, seeming almost mildly embarrassed by the whole affair as Zwei poked his head out from within the cloak, dropping to his feet in front of the group.

"You brought a dog on a search and destroy mission?" Winter asked in shock, even as Red handed every member of the group a flare gun.

"Brilliant!" Oobleck chimed in, placing the weapon in his coat, "Canines are known for their keen sense of smell! He will be of great use while on the mission! Let's move!"

* * *

As they headed further into the city, Ruby once again at the fore and taking the lead in following Zwei, a small swarm of Beowolves prowled towards them. Winter began to raise her sword, only for Oobleck to block it with the side of his thermos as he poured himself a drink of coffee.

"We are here not only as supervision but as educators, Specialist Schnee," he reminded her amiably as the corgi seated himself between the two professionals, "If our students need our aid, then we can intervene, but I wuld like to see what they can do on their own." Here, he raised his voice to be heard by said students "Ladies, if you would be so kind as to handle this!"

It was rather interesting, Winter supposed. Despite how underprepared and disjointed they looked, Team RWBY functioned like a well-oiled machine, which Winter supposed meant that her sister's strange leader was presumably good at strategy.

Team PICH, in contrast, did not yet have that level of synergy, which led Winter to suspecting that General Ironwood had been focused on developing them as specialists, rather than an actual team.

Polendina and her swords wove through the Grimm like a needle and thread, if a needle and thread shredded and burned the fabric upon getting into it. Her style of combat on the whole was a sort of brute force tactic, no doubt due to her mechanical nature, while she hammered into the enemy with her blades, yet the way she used the swords was too elegant to be considered a brute force approach. Watching her mix the two was a source of awe and slight pride, as she had been the specialist chosen to teach her to use blades properly in the first place.

Amitola's methodology consisted largely of quick movements and quick strikes, as if fighting against numerous opponents and opening up opportunities for quick strikes in a death of a thousand cuts was practically second nature to her. The fact that her style occasionally matched that of Belladonna from Team RWBY was of particular interest to her, given the new information that the two had worked for the same mysterious organization. The fact that it apparently included some combat training of some sort raised some alarm, but she supposed that Remnant was a harsh world. Combat training was useful in various places when there wasn't a Huntress or Huntsman to take care of the issue. Winter idly mused on how her evasive skills made it that she didn't even need to make use of her Semblance in the fight.

Fields, meanwhile, was mixing her Semblance to manipulate air in order to spread her Fire Dust among the Grimm she evaded masterfully with her tap dancing, occasionally firing an Air Dust round into the crowd that she'd been moving among before she leaped onto the head of one Beowolf and slammed her cane into its head, sending it to the ground even as she fired the Fire Dust round in her sixth chamber at the Dust surrounding the Grimm, causing it to burst into flame even as she already tossed out a new pair of taps, which she attached while she landed, speed-loading her cane before returning to the fray, creating an icy mist around herself while more Grimm swarmed towards her.

Soleil was another Atlesian cadet that filled Winter with a mild sense of pride to see her progression. Her Semblance was quite useful, though only Winter had been available to help her figure it out, as it was exceedingly rare. Her ability to slow down time relative to herself for short periods of time made her appear to be nearly teleporting while in motion, but her use of the ability was centered more around the use of her guns. Her ability was useful for a sniper, but it was even better for a gunslinger, which was what she had chosen to specialize in. Using Time Dilation Glyphs, she had managed to give the girl a baseline for what she could do with her Semblance.

To say that she was using it to great effect might have been a slight understatement. She would appear and disappear at certain points in time and would rapidly fire bullets, swapping between handguns too quickly for the untrained eye to notice, the only sign of her presence being the spent clips and the various bullet wounds that the beasts had as they fell over.

Strangely enough, Ruby Rose seemed to be able to track her along the battlefield, her rose petals managing to suddenly adjust out of the path of the most direct path that the Atlesian cadet could take from her position to where she would appear in a way that could only have been deliberate. Winter wondered at just what the upper limit of the young Huntress's speed was, if that were truly what was happening.

The thought was pushed away from her mind when some of the still surviving Grimm seemed to tense up and try to flee, only for a low-level form of the sensation of fear clawed at everyone while she put the scythe away, pulling out what looked like five gatling guns fused together in one box, which she unleashed upon the stragglers, utterly destroying them.

"Well done!" Oobleck commended the group, "For the time being, however, I would prefer if you didn't use that down the path we're taking to where we can set up our base for the night. The alleyways we are going down are not narrow, but they are more narrow than this one, and your weapon could easily cause more trouble."

"Understood," Red replied, returning the weapon to wherever it was that her Semblance sent things. With that said, the group once again continued to make their way further into the town.

* * *

General Ironwood had finally gotten things in order, signing the appropriate forms and organizing the schedules for the day and had begun to relax by cleaning his service pistol when a loud voice echoed through the Bullhead that he had been using as his base of operations.

"James!" the voice bellowed, causing him to pause and quickly reassemble his weapon and place it back in its holster just in time for Professor Carlo Polendina to burst into the room, a scowl visible even through the bushy beard that was messier than usual. That the ever-meticulous professor had not groomed his beard before arriving did not bode well. "I just received the most interesting message from my daughter," he said in an overly friendly voice, "It seems that she was sent on a Search and Destroy mission in Mountain Glen on the day that I had scheduled for diagnostics for her rocket pack and for father-daughter bonding time. Would you happen to know anything about this, my friend?"

"Team PICH was the only team suited for the mission," James offered.

"I seem to recall having conditions for your bringing my daughter into the Academy, James," Professor Polendina said sharply, somehow managing to loom despite his relatively short stature, "If you break another, I will withdraw her." Suddenly, the Professor's mood changed as he said, "Ah, yes! I forgot the reason I was going to come here in the first place! It was Arthur."

"What?" he asked.

"Watts," he said in a correcting tone, "It appears that the person who had put the worm into the CCT was connected to Arthur, or had simply bought it from him. It's been dealt with, but it was sloppy which was disappointing coming from my best student. More importantly, his console was well-hidden, which means that they have access to his designs. Either he's working in the black market, or he has a benefactor."


	19. Chapter 19

The Intriguing Case of Ruby and Red

Chapter 19

I don't own RWBY.

"I've done what I can," Professor Port noted, "But I'm not equipped to handle damage like this. Her Aura has an instability along the edge thanks to the parasite, but it's luckily not spreading. I'm not sure there is a way to recover from this. As for the medical aspect, my knowledge is admittedly rather limited, particularly when it comes to injuries like that one. Barty has always been better in that field than I... Perhaps Carlo could be of assistance..."

"Is he here?" Ozpin asked in interest.

"He and I were actually going to meet up with Georgia," he noted, "We and Barty had been catching up and reminiscing on old times when we've had the time."

"Professor Peach could also be useful in figuring out where to go from here, and she is the soul of discretion..." Ozpin mused, "Would you be willing to bring them here for this?"

"Of course!" he replied enthusiastically.

"Should we call in General Ironwood?" Tai asked.

"Not at this time," Ozpin replied after a moment's thought, "From what you've told me, he has a lot to handle at the moment, and he would rush here and draw unwanted attention as a result. We'll speak with him about this later."

"Do we really have to?" Amber asked.

"I trust him, and I personally believe that he can empathize with your current situation, but it is your choice as to who knows what about it."

"How much does he know?" she inquired.

"Just that you were attacked and that you took enough damage that I was needed to look into the matter."

"If it gets worse, we'll let him know," she concluded, "Until then, it's not his business."

"I'll send a message to Georgia and Carlo," Port said, "Though I wish Barty were here. He's much better at medicine than I am."

"Then it's a good thing I came," Tai noted, "Especially since I already know what we're dealing with here. I'm kinda surprised that Glynda isn't here, though. She's the Aura expert."

"You saw Qrow when he left," Ozpin sighed tiredly, "I thought it would be best to make sure that she kept an eye on him for everyone's sake."

"He started up again, didn't he?" Amber concluded tiredly, "He'd been doing so well, too..."

"I'm sure that it'll be better than last time," Tai offered gently, "Glynda will see to that."

"They said they'll be here," Port noted, "I gave no direct explanation, but they agreed to come here."

* * *

Winter was, if she were to be honest, intrigued by Team RWBY as a collective. They were a mess, in terms of appearances. Weiss was the only one that held herself professionally and dressed accordingly, her weapon immaculate and her form almost perfect. The others didn't even look like they were going to the same place as one another. Xiao-Long looked like she should have been riding a missile down to its target, waving a broad-brimmed hat, and fought with that same level of devil-may-care attitude. Belladonna looked like she was an assassin, waiting for the right moment to strike her target down. Red Rose looked like a specter haunting the field of battle as she moved erratically, the Grimm occasionally trying to flee her presence, as if they were just as plagued by the sense of fear she invoked in those around her. Ruby Rose, in contrast to the entity sharing a body with her, looked like she stepped out of a fairy tale, ready to slay the monsters that haunted the woods, or in this case, the ghost town.

In contrast to their appearances, however, they were the portrait of teamwork, switching from partner to partner with a precision of which some military units would have been envious. Where one had a weakness exposed to the enemy, the other would defend, and vice versa. Strangely, at least to Winter, Weiss had yet to make use of her Summoning ability to any extent.

Compounding to her confusion was Professor Bartholomew Oobleck's insistence that they not interfere in the students' battles with the creatures of Grimm that plagued this formerly robust settlement. Despite this insistence, he seemed determined to press his own students for answers to various questions about their desire to become Huntresses, questions that Winter felt were better suited for when they set up their base for the evening.

After another round of questioning and dealing with yet another swarm, Oobleck suddenly spoke up, "As the sun is going down and we have yet to find any sign of our quarry, I would recommend that we make base for the night. We shall return to our search in the morning with fresh eyes. Miss Rose, Miss Polendina, if you would be so kind as to help me in examining the perimeter? If you don't mind, Specialist Schnee?"

"I don't see any problem with that request," she said honestly. It wasn't as if anyone present was aware of Penny's mechanical nature, and the girl wasn't likely to divulge any military secrets on her own, particularly not her own secret, "To begin, we'll focus on how to make a fire that generates satisfactory heat and light while not divulging your location to any potential enemies..."

* * *

"I'm certain that the pair of you are wondering why I asked for the two of you when I only needed the assistance of one for a task like this," Oobleck noted once they had finished scouting the perimeter, "I presume that you are familiar with who I am, Miss Polendina?"

"Professor Bartholomew Oobleck, Professional Huntsman and History Instructor at Beacon Academy. PhDs in..."

"That would take a good deal of time, Miss Polendina," he interrupted, "The more pertinent fact in this matter is that I am a close friend and former teammate of your father's and have seen countless examples of his handiwork. Ruby, Miss Rose, the pair of you must truly be great friends to be keeping that particular secret. That is all I have to say on that particular topic, save that I will be keeping the information to myself."

"Why did you wish to discuss it with us, then?" Penny asked curiously.

"Because it is your secret, which you clearly shared with Ruby and Miss Rose," he said simply, "It would have been impolite of me to keep my awareness of something pertaining to your personal well-being to myself. It is only polite that I inform you of my awareness of the topic. As for you both, Misses Rose, I believe that you could be allowed to hear that because you are clearly confidantes of Miss Polendina. Now, I'm certain that you have questions for me."

"My father was a Huntsman?" Penny asked, "He has no record of being one..."

"That is the result of a bet between he and I years ago, which he won," Oobleck said, "And that is all that I am at liberty to say on the matter, Penny."

"I see..." Penny murmured, seeming to be lost in thought for a second before saying, "Understood."

"I've got a question, too, sir," Ruby said.

"You're wondering why I only questioned your teammates, but not you," he surmised, "A fair question Ruby..."

"Actually, I was wondering what..." she paused, her eyes locking on something in the distance, "Are those...?"

"Goliaths," Penny said, her eyes immediately zooming in on the creatures in the distance, "A herd of massive Goliaths..."

Oobleck turned at a sudden sense of unease, just in time to see Red had taken Ruby's place, drawing one of her own personal rifles, preparing to aim before he stopped it with the base of his thermos. "Even if your experimental rounds worked, that would draw the herd toward us, Miss Rose. Look closely They're also not attacking."

"Why, not, though?" Penny asked as Red returned the rifle to her pocket dimension.

"What does their size tell us, ladies?" he replied with a question of his own.

"They're old," Ruby said as she took charge, drawing Crescent Rose to look through the scope, her deliberately keeping her finger off the trigger, "Really old."

"Old enough to develop a rudimentary intelligence of sorts," Oobleck agreed.

"How intelligent?" Penny asked as they watched the herd.

"Intelligent enough to realize that, if they attack, there's a likelihood that more of us would come to deal with them," Oobleck said, "It is nearly impossible to get old without learning anything new, and the Grimm are a prime example of that... Peter would be better suited to explaining, if I need to be honest. He is referred to as the world's premier expert on Grimm for a reason."

"Hadn't he once tamed a Grimm?" Penny asked.

"Yes," Oobleck replied, "I would explain what happened, but I'm afraid that I can never quite do the tale justice. You will have to ask him for the details, Penny. Now, you had a question, Ruby?"

"Why did you decide to become a Huntsman?" she asked.

"Do you girls know what I see when we walk through these ruins?" he asked. "I see all of the people that could have been saved. I see the people who were saved in time. I see every single good choice and every single mistake. This is why history is such an important subject, why I work to hard to teach you everything I can in the classroom. The mistakes and successes of the past are too important to allow them to be forgotten. If my lessons can better prepare my students for the battlefield, then I will have done my level best to get them to sink in. Experience is the best possible way to know how to save lives. Why am I a Huntsman? Because there's nothing else I'd rather be."

* * *

"Oh, hell," Torchwick muttered at the news he got from Neo. The actual CCT network didn't work as far out from society as they were, but there were older systems that weren't monitored the way that the CCT was were still in play. They didn't use video or text, which complicated things, but Neo had developed the tap code for when they needed to use the underground networks, which he used to convey what she needed to say. What she had apparently seen on her way out, the train hidden by her Semblance, was nothing good. "And you're sure that's what you saw?"

There was no tap in response, and he could picture the exact expression she was making.

"Two full boxes, two crates and they'd been surrounded by a swarm that was how big?" he asked, deliberately coding the message. It wouldn't do if any of the White Fang members overheard the conversation. He needed to keep focusing on the angles that this provided, "Was any of it Fire Dust, by any chance?"

A brief tap. That was a "yes."

"Well, I guess there's nothing for it," he shrugged, "We'll just write off the loss for the time being. Let me know when you get there."

"Figure something out and fast," was the reply over the line, before it clicked off.

It was going to be interesting, at the very least.

"Perry," he called out, putting on his most obvious faux-cheerful voice, as he slung the arm he was using to smoke over his shoulder, "You've been doing the books for me, haven't you?"

"Yes, sir," Perry replied in a nervous tone, ever the consummate actor. Roman was rather pleased that the Valean theaters missed out on talent like that. A good actor was a godsend when you were pulling a con job, especially with as big an audience as this one.

"Well, I just had the most interesting conversation right now!" he smiled, "Why don't we go somewhere private for this little tete-a-tete we need to have..."

The kid in the red hood was here with her little friends, which was never good for business. A thought then struck him. The girl wasn't good for the woman's business.

That had possibilities.

He began to formulate a new plan of action. It would be tricky without Neo, but the hard part wouldn't come up for a while, if everything went well and he played his cards right...

All he needed to do was give Perry his instructions and send him on his way.

* * *

"Hm..." Professor Polendina murmured as he examined Amber, a pair of goggles over his eyes, "This is troublesome. Very troublesome. Your Aura is... well jagged is the best word for it, really, around the scars and a bit around your back. My designs... They work with the patient's Aura to run efficiently, and this? This is not something that I've dealt with in a Huntsman or Huntress. Ah! Of course! If you're dealing with an Aura problem, the the solution should be obvious! Reinforcement! Georgia! Did you ever perfect that armored nanofiber weave you'd been developing? The one that doesn't use Dust."

"Obviously, but I don't see how you expect to make it work, 'less you're using..." Professor Peach noted.

"An Atlesian Knight's backplate!" Port cheered, "You're developing a full brace, aren't you?!"

"Of course!" Peach chimed in, "It'd have to be lighter than what James has for his prosthetics, given her combat style, but it might work! Especially if you have in mind what I think you do!"

"You're both close, but there's a reason that I'm the master of my field and you the masters of your own," Professor Polendina replied cheerily, "Miss Amber, I have a possible solution, but it will require your agreement to try it."

"What are you thinking of doing?" Amber inquired as he rapidly began to sketch on a notepad that he pulled out of his coat.

"A full spinal replacement would be too risky and invasive, and the other options are inelegant and would be much more vulnerable to attacks. I have one possibility available, but I would prefer your thoughts on this..." He held out the rudimentary sketches out for her to examine.

"Could that work?" she asked, fascinated by what he was proposing.

"It definitely looks like something that'd hold together if it works," Peach noted, "Especially if Carlo's willing to work together on it."

"Then I'm willing to try it," Amber said, "Should be interesting, at least."


End file.
